3. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a Scottish child payment top-up for parents under the age of 25 who are in receipt of universal credit, as called for by the “End young parent poverty” campaign, in light of it reportedly being supported by more than 30 charities and civil society groups. (S6O-02190)

Universal credit is reserved to Westminster, and the United Kingdom Government has deliberately introduced age discrimination within it. We agree with campaigners that it should be paid at the same amount to everyone.

We already take action to protect people against the impact of UK Government policies, including the bedroom tax and the benefit cap, but we cannot mitigate every action on our fixed budget. The Scottish child payment was doubled in April 2022, to £20 per eligible child, and it increased again to £25 when we extended it to under-16s, in November. That is an increase of 150 per cent in less than eight months.

The campaign coalition is led by One Parent Family Scotland, but it now has 46 organisations, including Barnardo’s Scotland, the Poverty Alliance, Oxfam Scotland, Scottish Women’s Aid and many more. There are clear asks of both the UK and the Scottish Government. More than half of children in Scotland with a mother aged under 25 are living in poverty. I have offered to host a meeting with the campaigners. Will the cabinet secretary join us at that meeting as soon as possible?

Given that I have just come into post, I am, of course, already due to meet stakeholders and I am setting up meetings with them. Clearly, I am happy to receive any invites for any other opportunities that are coming up.

I would just make it clear to Monica Lennon that we spend £777 million more on social security than we get through the UK Government block grant. That shows that we are determined to move forward and support families and others who are really suffering from the benefits that are given by Westminster. That includes spending £442 million on the Scottish child payment this year and other mitigations that we make to support against, for example, the bedroom tax. I say to Monica Lennon that it is very difficult to mitigate against everything that the UK Government is doing, because that it is a very long list.