HUMZA Yousaf has set up a new ministerial group to help tackle child poverty levels.
The Daily Record reports that a leaked note of an anti-poverty summit the First Minister convened showed he insisted that “brave decisions” on spending had to be made.
Yousaf has previously said that making steep reductions in child poverty levels is the Scottish Government’s top priority.
He recently staged a summit in Edinburgh which invited experts and stakeholders to share their ideas.
The Record reports that his note of the meeting claimed participants were able to “put politics aside and listen to the call for brave decisions to be made to prioritise breaking the cycle of poverty in Scotland”.
The new group is to be led by Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville (below) with further summits due to take place in 2024 and 2025.
She said: “When the First Minister held an anti-poverty summit in May he was clear that we are building on a strong foundation, with 90,000 fewer children estimated to live in poverty this year due to the policies of this Government.
“However, he was also clear that we must continue to go further if we are to deliver on our ambitions for the children of Scotland.
“The ministerial group, which I will convene, and the further summits planned in 2024 and 2025 show we are absolutely committed to doing just that.
“Tackling poverty and protecting people from harm is one of three critical missions for this government.
“This year and last we have allocated almost £3 billion to support policies to tackle poverty and the ongoing cost of living crisis.”
However, Labour MSP Paul O’Kane hit out at the First Minister, saying that “talking shops and photo-ops aren’t enough” to tackle child poverty.
It comes after we told how Scottish Labour were asked to explain why the National Policy Forum rejected amendments to end the Tory two-child benefit cap after Jackie Baillie said the party held “influence” over their UK counterparts.
Keir Starmer was widely condemned after refusing to commit to reversing the cap despite data from the SNP showing that 80,000 children in Scotland are affected by the policy.
