The Scottish Parliament yesterday agreed that the UK Government’s European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill should not proceed. MSPs voted by Scottish Parliament by 90 to 34 votes to condemn triggering of Article 50 with ‘no effective consultation’ of Holyrood. Continue reading Governments set on Brexit collision course
Common Weal has launched a national campaign coalition to replace Private Public Partnerships (PPP) with a more sustainable Public Public Partnership. Continue reading Protect Our Future: coalition launches campaign to replace PPP
The UK Government’s austerity agenda, continuing welfare cuts, and economic uncertainty caused by Brexit are the key challenges to eradicating child poverty, Equalities Secretary Angela Constance has said. Ms Constance, who will introduce a child poverty bill to Holyrood this week, said the action being taken to tackle inequalities and end child poverty in Scotland has never been more important.
Findings in a report published by the Resolution Foundation last week show that over the remainder of the UK Parliamentary term typical households will see almost no income growth and poorer households will experience a fall in income.
Ms Constance said: “No child should grow up in poverty. All of our children deserve the best opportunities in life that we can offer them, which is why tackling the issue is a key priority for this government.
“Our Child Poverty Bill to be published this week will be a crucial step forward – it will set statutory targets to reduce child poverty and establish a framework for measuring, monitoring and reporting on child poverty. It will also require long-term delivery plans to tackle the deep-rooted causes, and for Ministers to report annually on progress. Scotland will also now be the only part of the UK with statutory income targets on child poverty.
“UK Government budget cuts, austerity measures, and welfare cuts, and scrapping of income-based child poverty targets are leading to huge social harm, and the poorest and most vulnerable in society shouldering the brunt.
“Withdrawal from the EU and the single market also poses a threat to living standards, job prospects, and income levels of people and communities across Scotland.
“It is completely unacceptable that families are facing such hardship and children are growing up in poverty. I am clear that preventing the next generation of young people being born into poverty is vital and we will work tirelessly across government and with the public, private and voluntary sectors to address this.
“That is why our Fairer Scotland Action Plan includes several cross-Government measures to tackle child poverty – and we will use all options the new social security powers give us to make a difference.
“We are spending £100 million a year mitigating the worst of UK Government cuts, funding we should be able to use to lift people out of poverty.
“So it is absolutely clear that we are taking a range of actions to ensure that children in Scotland have a bright future ahead of them; but we do that in the face of a callous and uncaring UK government which has never put the needs of the people of Scotland on their to do list.”
Holyrood’s European Committee has called for the Scottish and UK governments to consider ‘a bespoke – or differentiated – solution for immigration policy in Scotland’ after Brexit. Continue reading Immigration: a ‘bespoke’ solution for Scotland?
The successful delivery of the devolution of social security is to be investigated by two parliamentary committees. For the first time a Holyrood Committee and a Westminster Committee will work together to look at the relationship between the Scottish and UK Governments and investigate if it is working effectively. Continue reading Working together: Holyrood and Westminster committees to talk social security
‘Sandal-wearing watermelons’ save the day!
SNP MSPs have welcome the Scottish Government’s Budget saying that communities across Edinburgh are set to benefit from greater support as a result. They herald £1.3bn for NHS Lothian, as well as £230m to deliver new Sick Children’s Hospital and Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh and funding to complete the Queensferry Crossing. Opposition politicians have lambasted the Greens for supporting the budget. Continue reading Lentil munchers to the rescue: Scotland’s Budget passed
‘Prime Minister running out of time’ – FM Nicola Sturgeon
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will call on the Prime Minister to set out how the UK Government intends to reach UK wide agreement on the aims of the article 50 negotiations, when she attends the Joint Ministerial Committee meeting in Cardiff today. Continue reading BREXIT: UK must compromise, says Sturgeon
Scottish politicians have reacted angrily to news that more Jobcentre Plus offices are to close in Scotland. Holyrood’s Minister for Employability and Training Jamie Hepburn said the cuts are disproportionate while both Green MSP Alison Johnstone and North and Leith MP Deirdre Brock said the decision is ‘wrong-headed’.
Alison Johnstone MSP, Health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, today urged Scottish Ministers to act on the recommendations of a major report which concludes that 400 Scottish child deaths each year are potentially avoidable. The State of Child Health report by the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health says the Scottish Government should adopt a ‘child health in all policies’ approach to decision making.
The report urges support for families through financial inclusion services, like Glasgow’s Healthier Wealthier Children scheme which Green MSPs have persuaded Scottish Ministers to roll out across the country. It calls for all schools to deliver comprehensive sex and relationships education and also calls for 20 mph speed limits in built up areas to create safe places for children to walk, cycle and play.
Alison Johnstone, Health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP for Lothian, said: “The link between poverty and poor health is well established and this shocking report shows we need a transformation in how Government approaches the issue. Four hundred preventable child deaths each year must prompt serious action.
“Green MSPs have been pushing for an anti-poverty budget from Scottish Ministers, and we’ve already secured a guarantee that Glasgow’s Healthier Wealthier Children project, which boosts incomes for vulnerable families, will be rolled out across Scotland. We need to see other interventions such as an allowance for young carers, promotion of the Living Wage to stop in-work poverty, and a more humane approach to social security.
“We also need to see a shift in spending to make it easy to be active every day. The lack of funding for walking and cycling while motorways and air travel are set to benefit, and the deep cuts planned to sports agencies and council services, show that Scottish Ministers haven’t grasped how serious the situation is.”
The full report is available at:
www.rcpch.ac.uk/state-of-
Recommendations for UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments and decision makers
Nearly one in five children in the UK is living in poverty and inequality is blighting their lives, with those from the most deprived backgrounds experiencing much worse health compared with the most affluent. Despite some improvements in the health of UK children over the last decades, there is clear disparity with Europe, and major cause for concern.
The UK ranks 15 out of 19 Western European countries on infant (under one year of age) mortality and has one of the highest rates for children and young people in Western Europe.
There is a strong association between deprivation and mortality, for example infant mortality is more than twice as high in the lowest compared with the highest socio-economic groups.
The prevalence of smoking during pregnancy in the UK is higher than in many European countries (for example 5% in Lithuania and Sweden, compared with 19% in Scotland, 16% in Wales and 15% in Northern Ireland).
Smoking in pregnancy increases the likelihood of death, disability, and disease (for example stillbirth, cot death and the risk of respiratory disease across the life-course).
There is marked variation in smoking in pregnancy across the UK with a strong association with deprivation; for example in Scotland over a quarter (25.9%) of women in the most deprived areas acknowledged smoking following the birth of their baby, compared with 3.3% in the least deprived areas.
Breastfeeding in England and Scotland has shown minimal improvement since data recording commenced in 1975, with no improvement over the last five years, and remains lower than many other comparable high-income countries.
At 6 months, only 34% of babies in the UK are wholly or partially breastfed, compared to 71% in Norway
Breastfeeding has substantial health benefits for mothers and babies.
Across the UK, 46% of mothers in the most deprived areas breastfed compared with 65% in the most affluent areas.
Across England, Scotland and Wales more than one in five children in the first year of primary school are overweight or obese.
There has been minimal improvement in the prevalence of child overweight and obesity over the past decade.
Obesity leads to substantially increased risk of serious life-long health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
In 2015/2016, 40% of children in England’s most deprived areas were overweight or obese, compared to 27% in the most affluent areas.
The percentage of 15-year-old children smoking regularly is 6% in England and 8% in Wales and Scotland.
Smoking continues to be the greatest single cause of avoidable mortality in the UK.
Starting to smoke during adolescence increases the likelihood of being a life-long smoker.
The prevalence of child smoking is much higher amongst children from the most deprived areas; for example in Scotland’s most deprived areas, at least 1 in 10 young people are regular smokers.
In 2013/2014, 13% of 15-year-olds surveyed in Wales, 11% in England and 13.5% in Scotland reported drinking alcohol at least once a week.
Alcohol abuse continues to be a problem across the social spectrum.
SOCH recommendations – Scotland
State of Child Health – full report
The benefit cap will push struggling families into deeper poverty, says City of Edinburgh Councillor LEWIS RITCHIE: Continue reading ‘Just about managing’ no longer
