The Scottish Government has published a Child Poverty Bill with the ambition of ending the damaging cycle of poverty.
The Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill places statutory responsibilities on the Scottish Government to meet ambitious targets to reduce and ultimately to end child poverty in Scotland.
The Bill makes Scotland the only part of the UK with statutory targets in a bid to reduce the number of children experiencing the harmful effects of poverty by 2030. Statistics show that currently 1 in 5 five children in Scotland live in poverty – more than 200, 000 children.
A three-year child poverty delivery plan will be published by April 2018, which will be updated every five years, with annual reports to measure progress.
Welcoming the Bill, Cunninghame South MSP, Ruth Maguire, said:
‘This SNP Government is unquestionably committed to tackling the unacceptable levels of child poverty in modern day Scotland.
The Child Poverty Bill sets statutory targets and holds the Government to account on progress, and is to be welcomed as a major step towards reducing and ultimately ending the scourge that is child poverty, and to ensuring that every child in Scotland has the best start in life.’
Ruth Maguire MSP 