Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at 12:48 pm on 19 December 2024.
Clare Haughey
Scottish National Party
12:48,
19 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how the measures announced in its draft budget 2025-26 will support its mission to eradicate child poverty. (S6O-04152)
Shirley-Anne Somerville
Scottish National Party
The Scottish budget for 2025-26 prioritises action to eradicate child poverty, outlining wide-ranging investment to support progress on that national mission. In addition to our continued investment in measures such as the Scottish child payment, early learning and childcare and free bus travel, we have announced increased investment in the affordable housing supply and the expansion of breakfast clubs and free school meals. Importantly, we have also committed to spend £3 million to develop the systems that are necessary to effectively scrap the impact of the two-child cap in 2026. The Child Poverty Action Group estimates that scrapping the two-child limit in Scotland could lift 15,000 children out of poverty.
Clare Haughey
Scottish National Party
Poverty campaigners have made it clear that, for child poverty to be eradicated in Scotland, policy makers cannot work in a silo. Will the Cabinet secretary outline how the First Minister’s four priority missions support one another, and how the draft budget ensures that low-income households in Scotland are set to benefit not only from more generous and comprehensive social security measures than in the rest of the United Kingdom but from a thriving green economy and improved public services?
Shirley-Anne Somerville
Scottish National Party
Clare Haughey is quite right to point out that, as the eradication of child poverty is a defining mission of the Government, it is not just for this portfolio but for all ministers to take exceptionally seriously, and that is why we have a cross-Government response.
I believe that the budget demonstrates that response, whether that is through the investment in employability, in housing or, indeed, in social security, with the reintroduction of the universal winter fuel payment and the work on mitigating the two-child cap. That is just a small but significant sample of what is in the budget.
That support for people will only happen, however, if the Parliament votes for the budget. The important work that we are all obligated to do to eradicate child poverty can be done only if the budget is passed.
Alison Johnstone
Presiding Officer
That concludes portfolio questions.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
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