New report on impact of UK Government policies on families in Scotland
A new report estimates 70,000 people in Scotland, including 30,000 children, would be lifted out of poverty by 2024 if UK Government welfare reforms introduced since 2015 were reversed.
The cost of reversing changes, including the removal of the £20 per week Universal Credit uplift and the two child benefit cap would be around £780 million a year, according to estimates in the Scottish Government’s Welfare Reform – Impact on Families with Children report.
Last month the Scottish Government published its second Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan – Best Start, Bright Futures – which sets out immediate and longer term actions to support people out of poverty and to tackle its deep-seated causes.
Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said: “Tackling child poverty is our national mission and we are helping to lift thousands of children out of poverty in Scotland within our limited powers. This report lays bare the cost of repeated UK Government welfare reforms since 2015 and the challenge we face in lifting children and families out of poverty for good.
“We are determined to tackle the cost of living crisis and we’re already helping to lift thousands of children out of poverty. We invested almost £6 billion from 2018-21 to support low income households, including around £2.18 billion to directly support children. We are also taking steps to mitigate the impact of the UK Government’s bedroom tax and benefit cap as fully as we can within our limited powers.
“We have introduced a package of five family benefits, including the Scottish Child Payment that we will raise to £25 a week by the end of 2022. We are also investing in employment support for parents, through new skills and training opportunities and key worker support to help reduce household costs and drive longer term change.”
The Scottish Government has launched a new fund to help develop the emerging CO2 utilisation technology.
The CO2 Utilisation Challenge Fund will help businesses and organisations develop and commercialise the technology, which involves harnessing and converting CO2 – the biggest contributor to climate change emissions – and using it to produce valuable products such as synthetic fuels and proteins for use in aquaculture.
The CO2 Utilisation Challenge Fund will be administered by Scottish Enterprise and match-funded by industry, meaning over £10 million could be invested in the initiative over its two-year lifetime.
Net Zero and Energy Secretary Michael Matheson said: “The Scottish Government is fully committed to helping Scotland become a net zero economy. The IPCC’s latest reports show that the impacts of climate change are even worse than previously thought and that business as usual is not an option.
“We know that, in order to deliver on our targets, we must develop and grow innovative technologies like carbon capture and utilisation, alongside carbon capture and storage.
“Promising early work around potential uses for captured CO2 shows that CO2 utilisation has real potential to help develop a circular economy while providing opportunities for our workforces and economic benefits for a range of different sectors.
“Whilst the UK Government have so far failed to sufficiently back carbon capture and storage in Scotland, the launch of this £5 million fund underlines our commitment to making sure Scotland is at the forefront of new industrial opportunities that will result from a future with carbon capture, utilisation and storage deployment.”
Head of Low Carbon Transition at Scottish Enterprise Andy McDonald, said: “This fund will help ensure we remain at the forefront of the global effort to tackle climate change by supporting innovative Scottish companies with the ambition, capability and expertise to utilise CO2 and transform it into products with commercial value.
“Carbon utilisation technology has wide-reaching benefits for both Scotland’s low carbon economy and the environment. This fund will boost this dynamic and emerging sector by facilitating the creation of more high-value jobs while also helping Scotland reach its net zero emissions target.”
The public is being invited to have its say on plans to add the number of calories to menus in the out of home food sector including cafes, restaurants and takeaways.
Mandatory calorie labelling is part of action to address obesity which, with two-thirds of the population living in Scotland recorded as living with overweight or obesity, continues to be one of the biggest and most complex public health challenges.
Eating out is common place with almost everyone in Scotland (98%) consuming food outside the home, however nutrition information is not always available.
A 12-week consultation, which sets out the broad types of food and drink that would be covered, will seek views on how this could apply to:
food and hospitality businesses, depending on their size
public sector institutions such as hospitals and prisons
pre-packed food such as filled sandwiches
online takeaway menus
children’s menus
It will inform whether legislation is introduced to make it a legal requirement for calories to be included on menus and forms part of the government’s wider actions to ensure Scotland is a place where we eat well and have a healthy weight, including our aim to halve childhood obesity by 2030.
Mandating calorie labelling at the point of choice could support the food and hospitality sector to make a key contribution in improving dietary health.
Public Health Minister Maree Todd said: “Before the pandemic, people living in Scotland were consuming more and more food and drink out of home or ordering it in.
“Whether it’s breakfast at a roadside café, grabbing a lunchtime soup and sandwich from a local convenience store or ordering food online from a restaurant, most of us were increasingly buying food outside the home – a trend I expect to resume as we recover from the pandemic.
“Two-thirds of the population living in Scotland is recorded as living with overweight or obesity – a key factor in our plan to address this is calorie labelling. We know that giving people more information, such as the number of calories in meals will enable people to make healthier choices when eating out, or ordering in. This is not novel practice – calories are already required on retail food purchases and calorie labelling for out of home sites is mandated in many other countries.
“Many food companies in Scotland have already taken this significant step voluntarily. We want to learn from those experiences and I would urge everyone to share their thoughts in this consultation.”
Food Standards Scotland (FSS) Head of Nutrition Science and Policy Dr Gillian Purdon said: “We welcome the launch of the Scottish Government’s consultation on mandatory calorie labelling for the out of home sector.
“FSS has long proposed the introduction of mandatory calorie labelling as part of a suite of recommendations to address the nation’s poor diet. Alongside the consultation, we published the findings of two reports which highlight that overall, calorie information at point of choice can reduce the amount of calories ordered or consumed.
“With eating out is now an everyday occurrence and nearly a quarter of our calories coming from food and drink purchased outside of home, mandatory calorie labelling is one way to support people to make healthier options.”
Head of Policy and External Affairs at the Scottish Retail Consortium Ewan McDonald-Russell said: “Our members in grocery and food-to-go have led the way in providing calorie and nutritional information to consumers, over and above the action they have taken to promote healthier alternatives and reformulate products to reduce their salt, sugar and fat content.
“Ensuring customers of all organisations serving food understand exactly what they are consuming empowers them to make the right choices to ensure they maintain a balanced diet.
“Introducing a mandatory approach to calorie labelling is therefore a reasonable proposition, provided it is implemented in a sensible manner and is applied to all businesses serving food and drink.
“The pandemic has laid bare many of the health inequalities in Scotland – measures need to apply across industry to ensure the most effective outcome and ensure firms which have taken positive action in this area are able to compete on a level playing field.”
The National Climate Campaign empowers underserved communities across Scotland with climate change knowledge
Dynamic Earth have delivered a packed programme of events and experiences exploring climate change including the delivery of STEM kits to a local children’s hospital, as part of a National Climate Campaign uniting Scotland’s Science Centres.
The kits, designed for young people, contain a variety of activities and experiments focusing on earth and environmental sciences, with connections to climate change and marine environments.
These boxes give young people the chance to explore connections between ocean depth and pressure, experience augmented reality colouring-in, build their own rope and more, bringing science directly to them wherever they are.
Alongside their STEM kit distribution, Dynamic Earth delivered a series of in-person events and digital programmes reaching over seven thousand people as part of a campaign, building on the legacy of COP26 alongside Scotland’s other science centres.
The centre has been running climate change workshops with community audiences and family learning activities with local primary schools, reaching groups including the Edinburgh Young Carers Project Care for Carers and the Citadel Youth Centre.
Brought together by Glasgow Science Centre, the centres have joined forces to inform, inspire and empower a diverse audience to tackle the climate crisis and ensure the discussion on climate change remains open.
Working together to further climate science education in their communities, the National Climate Campaign saw each centre deliver a coordinated and interactive campaign of over 89 events, reaching over 13,000 members of underserved and underrepresented audiences by the end of March 2022.
The programme strived to make science more relatable and helps learners build up their science skills to understand the world around them.
Elsewhere in Scotland, Glasgow Science Centre have been hosting weekly community visits and film screenings, shining a light on the importance of science in the community and engaging with groups who are unlikely to visit Glasgow Science Centre regularly and can be most affected by climate change and its effect on lifestyle.
In total Glasgow Science Centre have facilitated 16 community group visits this year to the Science Centre, including visitors from Glasgow Disability Alliance, Yorkhill Green Space and African Challenge Scotland.
They have engaged 374 people who may have not visited the centre before, while also offering 3,000 primary school pupils in remote, rural and deprived areas access to their online interactive ‘Learning Labs’.
A highlight from Aberdeen Science Centre’s 20-event programme was last month’s Supper and Science Evening, where families came together to cook an evening meal at Northfield Academy.
While the meal was cooking, Science Centre staff ran a series of climate-themed workshop activities, including one where they recreated an oil spill with feathers and soap, to give the children some hands-on climate science experience.
In Dundee, the team created 150 climate-themed community kits for young people, containing a mini solar-powered windmill as well as other items to show how earth and environmental sciences connect to climate change and marine environments, while also engaging over 1,000 primary school pupils in activities during COP26 Schools Week.
Eilidh Massie, Marketing Director at Dynamic Earth said: “It is so important for people to not only learn about our amazing planet, but also to understand that the Earth’s climate system is something we have taken for granted for too long.
“At Dynamic Earth we’re committed to reminding people, young and old, that we need to act now before the damage is irreversible.
“It has been a fantastic opportunity to work collectively with Scotland’s Science Centres as part of the National Climate Campaign to further these messages.”
Stephen Breslin, CEO of the Glasgow Science Centre said:“We set up the National Climate Campaign to ensure that there is a legacy of climate engagement left behind after COP26.
“We hope that by providing communities across Scotland with our knowledge and resources, we can act as a magnet for climate engagement and help empower young people to make considered decisions and learn what climate change means for them.”
Environment Minister, Mairi McAllan said: “Young people have been among the strongest voices calling for urgent global action to address climate change.
“This campaign will make sure that young people in communities across Scotland continue to play a key role in our journey to becoming a net zero nation, delivering a lasting legacy for COP26, and making their voices heard loud and clear.”
For more information on the National Climate Campaign and Scottish Science Centre’s climate change education programming visit:
A marketing campaign has been launched to ensure people know about a dedicated national NHS service that offers choices in healthcare, forensic examination and support after a rape or sexual assault.
The national service, which is to be implemented across all health boards, will allow those aged 16 and over to self-refer for a forensic health examination at a Sexual Assault Response Coordination Service (SARCS), whether or not they wish to report to the police.
Funding of £11.7 million has been invested by the Scottish Government alongside the unanimous passing of Forensic Medical Services Act 2021 by Parliament. This money has gone towards creating healthcare facilities for examinations across all health boards, to recruit more specialist staff and set up a single point of contact for self-referral through NHS 24.
The campaign which will run across digital channels and outdoor advertising sites encourages people who have experienced a sexual crime to visit the NHS Inform website for information to help them decide the best next step for them.
Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Gregor Smith said: “It is very important that everyone knows about this service and while I hope that people will never need to use it, for those that do, knowing where to turn for support and information is a vital part of giving them back control.
“This legislation marks an important step in ensuring that those who have experienced a sexual assault have access to healthcare and support, even if they don’t feel ready to report it to the police.
“The campaign will be running over the next few months to raise awareness of the Sexual Assault Response Coordination Service (SARCS), to help improve the experience of those who have suffered a sexual crime.”
Jennifer Wilson, Nurse Director for NHS Ayrshire & Arran added: “Improving healthcare services for victims of sexual offences is a priority for NHS Ayrshire & Arran.
“We are committed to the Taskforce vision of consistent, person-centred, trauma-informed healthcare and forensic medical services and access to recovery, for anyone who has experienced rape or sexual assault in Scotland.
“With the launch of the FMS Act and the National Self-Referral Service we can now offer local services to victims of sexual assault who require a Forensic Medical Examination (FME) and who do not wish to, or are not yet ready to report this to the Police.
“This is a vital part of improving services for victims of sexual assault and making sure that timely healthcare support, including a forensic medical examination, is available to victims of rape and sexual assault in a way that is sensitive, compassionate and reduces the risk of any re-traumatisation.”
Sandy Brindley, Chief Executive of Rape Crisis Scotland said: “This is a huge step forward in improving responses to rape in Scotland. Immediately following rape or sexual assault can be a really difficult time to make a decision about whether to report what has happened to the police, but there are time limits involved in being able to capture forensic evidence.
“Self-referral means that if someone doesn’t feel ready to make the decision about reporting they can ensure all the evidence is captured and make the decision when they are ready.”
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss gave a speech at the British Embassy in Poland about stepping up our efforts to stop Putin’s appalling war in Ukraine
Welcome to the British Embassy in Warsaw. It’s good to have the opportunity to hear from my friend and colleague Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister at what is an extremely difficult time.
What we have seen on the streets of Irpin and Bucha are scenes that we will never forget. We have seen butchery, evidence of rape and sexual violence as well as the indiscriminate killing of civilians.
We will ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice for these barbaric crimes. And together with our allies we will step up our efforts to stop Putin’s appalling war.
The UK military and police are providing technical assistance to the investigations. And the Metropolitan Police War Crimes unit have commenced the collection of evidence. We are working very closely with the Ukrainian government on this.
We have appointed former ICC judge Sir Howard Morrison as an independent adviser to the Ukrainian prosecutor general.
And today, I can announce that we are launching a £10 million civil society fund to support organisations in Ukraine, including those helping the victims of conflict-related sexual violence.
We will not rest until these criminals have been brought to justice.
We are clear that after these appalling crimes Russia has no place on the Human Rights Council.
And it is the responsibility of the UK and our allies – and that is what Dymtro and I discussed today – to step up our support for our brave Ukrainian friends. That means more weapons and more sanctions. Putin must lose in Ukraine.
Later this week, the G7 Foreign Ministers and the NATO Foreign Ministers will meet.We need to announce a tough new wave of sanctions.
The reality is that money is still flowing from the West into Putin’s war machine, and that has to stop.
In Brussels, I’ll be working with our partners to go further as has been advocated by Dmytro in banning Russian ships from our ports, in cracking down on Russian banks, in going after new industries filling Putin’s war chest like gold, and agreeing a clear timetable to eliminate our imports of Russian oil, gas and coal.
We also need even more weapons of the type the Ukrainians are asking for.
The UK is supplying more including next-generation light anti-tank weapons, Javelin Missiles and Starstreak anti-aircraft systems. And last week, we hosted a donor conference with our allies to secure more.
The fact is that being tough is the only approach that will work. Putin has escalated this war.
And this approach is vital to ensuring he loses in Ukraine, and that we see a full withdrawal of Russian troops and Ukraine’s hand is strengthened at the negotiating table.
There should be no talk of removing sanctions whilst Putin’s troops are in Ukraine and the threat of Russian aggression looms over Europe.
We need to see Putin withdraw his troops. We need to see Ukraine’s full territorial integrity restored. We need to see Russia’s ability for further aggression stopped. We need a plan to rebuild Ukraine. And we need to see justice done at the International Criminal Court.
Dmytro – we salute your bravery and the bravery of the Ukrainian people.
We are determined to help in whatever way we can. We will back you unwaveringly in your negotiations.
And together, we will not rest until Putin fails and Ukraine prevails.
Scotland: Strengthening sanctions on Russia
Public bodies in Scotland are being given advice on how to handle contract bids from companies linked to Russia.
To help strengthen economic sanctions imposed on Russia following the illegal invasion of Ukraine, guidance has been published on how to reject bids to procure a contract for goods or services from firms which are established in Russia and Belarus. This also applies to companies with substantial business operations in Russia, as well as those under the control of a person with links to the Russian regime.
Business Minister Ivan McKee said: “The Scottish Government has been clear since the beginning of the illegal invasion of Ukraine, that the business community has a moral responsibility to take economic action by reviewing operations for links and connections to Russia – and severing them where it is possible to do so.
“While it is up to the contracting authority as decision-maker to make an informed, rounded, case-specific assessment, this guidance will ensure public bodies can exclude companies from new contracts, or terminate existing ones, if the bidder has connections to the Russian regime.”
104,000 children have payment increased to £20 per week
The flagship family payment – Scottish Child Payment – has now doubled to £20 per week per child. 104,000 children are already benefiting from this increase.
The payment, which is unique to Scotland, was designed to tackle child poverty head on. It is one of five family benefits which provides financial support to low income families with children aged under 6.
The benefit will be extended at the end of the year to all eligible children under the age of 16 – and at that point also increase further from £20 to £25.
Once extended, it is expected over 400,000 children could be eligible. The newly doubled Scottish Child Payment, together with the three Best Start Grant payments and Best Start Foods, will provide families with more than £10,000 by the time their first child turns 6 and £9,700 for subsequent children.
This compares to less than £1,800 for an eligible family’s first child in England and Wales, and less than £1,300 for subsequent children.
Visiting Glasgow based family charity Govan Help, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:“We are using our social security powers to take immediate steps to put cash in the pockets of families by doubling the Scottish Child Payment to £20 per week per child – support not replicated anywhere else in the UK.
“This is a key part of our national mission to tackle child poverty. We will further increase this payment to £25 by the end of 2022 – five times the amount campaigners originally asked. This will gives families additional financial support of £1,300 for each eligible child every year. We will back this with investment of around £671 million over the next two years – just part of our package of support for families.
“Our Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan will also build on our investment in employment support for parents, through new skills and training opportunities and key worker support to help reduce household costs and drive longer term change.
“We are determined to give children the best start and a bright future by putting more money into the pockets of those who need it most. Increasing the Scottish Child Payment will make a real difference to families and help to build a more equal and fairer Scotland for everyone.”
Viv Sawers, Chief Officer at Govan Help, said: “This is a fantastic measure from Scottish Government in tackling Child Poverty in Scotland. The roll out and the uplift in Scottish Child Payment will have an incredible impact on the families across Scotland who need it most and we are delighted to see money going directly to families who we know are struggling to meet their basic cost of living.
“Govan has higher than average rates of Child Poverty so this will have a hugely positive impact on the quality of life for families in this local community. We see families struggling daily, they have told us what a difference this has made already with the cost of living increases, we look forward to supporting more families to access this as it rolls out to children up to age 16 later this year.
“We know parenting is a really hard job, without financial pressures, this funding will go a long way to removing stresses that can impact on healthy family functioning and wellbeing.”
Scottish Child Payment increased to £20 from Friday 1 April
Parents and carers do not need to reapply and will see their payments increase automatically
Social Security Scotland administers five benefits for families on tax credits and certain benefits. These include Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment, Early Learning Payment, School Age Payment, Best Start Foods and Scottish Child Payment. Parents and carers can find out more and apply at mygov.scot or by calling 0800 182 2222
Ahead of extending the Scottish Child Payment to under 16s, the Scottish Government is set to invest £225 million this year (2022-23) in our Scottish Child Payment.
The Scottish Government is also putting around £150 million in the pockets of families through Bridging Payments to families of 145k children in receipt of free school meals across 2021 and 2022
The extension of Scottish Child Payment is subject to data on qualifying benefits being received from the Department of Work and Pensions
The Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-26 – Best Start, Bright Futures outlines actions to be taken to provide immediate support to children and families and to break the cycle of child poverty
Projects that celebrate locally sourced and produced food and drink are being encouraged to apply for funding.
The Regional Food Fund aims to support the food and drink sector’s recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with £110,000 of Scottish Government funding.
The fund, managed by Scotland Food & Drink, provides grants of up to £5,000 to applicants across the country.
Last year the fund was allocated across 42 projects, which varied from helping regional food group producers in Argyll & Bute grow their sales, to supporting the expansion of the Bowhouse market in Fife to allow more local producers to showcase their food and drink offerings.
Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands said: “This government is committed to supporting and promoting Scotland’s local produce, which is some of the finest in the world.
“I would encourage eligible groups and businesses to apply for this year’s Regional Food Fund.
“Since its launch in 2018, the Regional Food Fund has provided over £550,000 to 121 projects, and this additional funding will support many more projects and initiatives.”
Fiona Richmond, Head of Regional Food at Scotland Food & Drink, said: “The Regional Food Fund has already played an important role in promoting food and drink in local communities and delivering benefits to Scotland’s local food and drink sector over the long-term.
“It’s great to see the fund reopen and continuing to promote and encourage great local food initiatives by supporting regional activities, networks and collaborative initiatives across the country.”
Employability services to help those most at risk of long-term unemployment will receive up to £113 million of funding.
To deliver the ambitions set out in the National Strategy for Economic Transformation and the Child Poverty Delivery Plan, tailored services based on local needs will ensure the right help is given to ensure people are supported to move towards and into work.
The No One Left Behind approach – which includes the Young Person’s Guarantee – sees services funded through Local Employability Partnerships (LEPs) bringing together local government, Skills Development Scotland, Department for Work and Pensions, colleges, the third sector and other partners to provide support that meets both individual and labour market needs in each area. This is crucial to achieving shared aims around tackling poverty and inequalities.
The National Strategy for Economic Transformation aims to build a fairer and more equal society by ensuring economic transformation which tackles inequality, drives up working standards and improves pay. It also outlines how partnership working can support people into jobs by tackling labour market inequalities and unlocking Scotland’s economic potential.
Employment Minister Richard Lochhead said: “Redesigning services with the user in mind is part of the bold steps we’re taking to achieve the goals of the National Strategy for Economic Transformation.
“If delivering on our objectives involves change to get a better outcome for the people of Scotland, we won’t duck from that challenge.
“We have always been clear that No One Left Behind places people at the centre of employability services and support, to give them help tailored to their specific needs. I’m pleased that in 2022/23 we are able to invest up to £113 million to support those at risk of long-term unemployment.
“This investment will build on existing support to deliver more localised help around employability and skills to people most disadvantaged in the labour market. It will also align more closely with other local services in housing, justice, advice, and health.”
A total of 77 initiatives working with people affected by drug use are to receive awards totalling more than £25 million over the next five years.
Grants of more than £6 million in total have been allocated to 16 organisations providing residential rehabilitation and pre and post rehabilitation support to enable them to further enhance their services.
The charity Teen Challenge UK, which supports young people with drug and alcohol addictions is among the recipients. An award of almost £800,000 will be used to improve and increase capacity at their Sunnybrae and Benaiah rehabilitation centres in Aberdeenshire by increasing staffing and carrying out refurbishment work.
A further 38 awards totalling more than £10 million have been made to organisations who support people through recovery including WRASAC (Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre) Dundee & Angus Ltd.
The money will be spent on establishing a women’s hub in Dundee to support women with substance dependency and additional complex needs.
In addition, 23 projects working with children and families have received funding of almost £9.5 million.
Drugs Policy Minister Angela Constance said: “I am pleased that so many organisations doing valuable work around the country are to benefit from this latest round of funding from our Improvement Fund and Children and Families Fund.
“The grants awarded will enable services to increase and improve the support available for people suffering from addiction and of course, their families.
“Getting more people into the treatment which works for them is central to our National Mission and we continue to embed the new Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards which reinforce a rights-based approach for people who use drugs and the treatment they should expect regardless of their circumstances.
“We aim to increase the number of publicly funded residential rehabilitation placements by more than 300 per cent over the lifetime of this Parliament and I recently announced a treatment target to increase the number of people with problematic opiate drug use accessing community treatments.
“I am determined that the £250 million we are investing in tackling this public health emergency will make a difference and we will continue to prioritise our efforts to turn this crisis around.”
Teen Challenge North East Scotland Area Manager Gordon Cruden said: “We are extremely grateful to have been awarded this funding for our work at Teen Challenge North East Scotland.
“We are passionate about seeing people set free from addiction and this funding will help us support more men and women to freedom.
“The grant has been specifically awarded to improve, expand and increase the capacity of our two residential centres – our men’s centre, Sunnybrae, and women’s centre, Benaiah – through increased staffing, improvements to equipment and minor refurbishments.
“A main aim of ours is to see each resident progress on with positive personal life goals in the areas of home, career, financial stability and social network and this funding will help us to support people to achieve just that.”
