The Scottish Government has made much of the fact it tries to operate a more humane benefits system. SNP ministers like to view Social Security Scotland as a better-run equivalent to the Department for Work and Pensions in London.
But the fact is, benefits only work if the money reaches the people it is designed to help. The Scottish Child Payment is a stand-alone payment only issued north of the Border.
Nicola Sturgeon has previously talked about it being one of her proudest achievements as first minister. But we reveal today that more than 60,000 eligible children could miss out on the benefit. There are fears the payment is not being promoted enough and many families simply don’t know they could apply.
In 2023-24, around 370,000 children will be eligible for the payment, but only 309,000 are forecast to benefit from it. The biggest gap is six to 15-year-olds, where only 80 per cent of 257,000 children in this age cohort will take it up.
By contrast, the take-up rate for under-sixes is estimated to be 92 per cent this year. It’s clear that something is not going right when it comes to promoting this lifeline benefit.
This additional money could make all the difference to families already struggling to make ends meet at a time of soaring inflation. The Scottish Government has spent years making its new benefit system work. It must ensure the cash reaches all Scots who are entitled to it.
Protect our pets
For a bungling buffoon PM like Boris Johnson, triumphs of policy were rare. But his Kept Animals Bill seemed a sure-fire winner, a rock solid piece of legislation that few could argue with.
That’s why it’s particularly galling for the current Tory Government deciding to kick the groundbreaking Bill, with its wide ranging protections for animals, into touch. Animal cruelty in Scotland has increased in recent years. We have seen a rapid rise in urban hunting and a growing acceptance of sick fashions that involve pet mutilation, like ear cropping.
The Scottish Government should pick through the bones of the abandoned legislation and consider what can be done north of the Border within our own parliament. This current Westminster Government has clearly run out of steam and its days are hopefully numbered.
But PM Rishi Sunak should hang his head in shame for publicly endorsing then abandoning reforms that
would resonate with pet owners throughout Britain.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our newsletter here.
