On Wednesday 17th May, a question to the Scottish Government by SNP MSP for Cunninghame South, Ruth Maguire, revealed that around 50,000 households in Scotland will be negatively affected by the UK Tory Government’s two child cap by 2021 – pushing more and more families into poverty across the country.
Ruth also used the Portfolio Questions session to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities, Angela Constance, whether the UK Government had made any response to the Scottish Parliament’s recent vote condeming the two child cap and associated rape clause – with Angela Constance confirming that there has been no response at all.
Commenting, Ruth said:
“The Tories railroaded through the immoral two child cap and rape clause without a parliamentary debate or vote and have refused to engage with any of the profound concerns that have been raised about the impact these policies will have on poverty or the emotional trauma that they will cause rape survivors.
We have already heard that the two child cap will leave more than 266, 000 children additional children across the UK in poverty by 2020. And today we hear that 50,000 households in Scotland will be negatively affected by the UK Tory Government’s two child cap by 2021.
It is disgraceful that the UK Tory Government continue to ignore the voice of this Parliament – which voted to unequivocally condemn the policies – as well as the voices of professional organisations across the country, including Rape Crisis Scotland, Scottish Women’s Aid and the Royal College of Nursing – who have all expressed profound concerns about these policies.”
Ruth Maguire MSP 