9 April 2019

Responding to a new briefing on child poverty from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, Labour spokesperson for the Eradication of Poverty and Inequality Elaine Smith said:

"This research exposes the scale of the challenge Scotland faces on child poverty, and again makes clear that the Scottish government is set to miss its child poverty targets. That would be unacceptable.

"The government has promised an income supplement by 2022 - but this research shows that families cannot afford to wait and that single policy alone cannot be the end of the conversation.

"Ending child poverty should be the central focus of the government - it's not about pulling one singular policy lever but using all the powers available. The goal of eradicating poverty should be embedded in the DNA of every government policy.

"That's why Labour would increase Child Benefit and scrap the two child cap, build more social homes and fix the private rented sector, end the cuts to local services and deliver better paying jobs through an interventionist industrial strategy."



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