MSP welcomes investment in families and supports calls for UK government to reverse damaging welfare reforms. Record investment of almost £8.5 billion was committed to support low income households between 2018-22, with almost £3.3 billion benefitting children. The fourth annual progress report on child poverty, published 29 June, shows that all of the actions committed as... Continue Reading →
Calls for UK Government Support Renewed as 1 in 10 Struggle To Pay Energy Bills
The SNP have renewed pressure on the UK government to urgently support households with energy costs after new research revealed 1 in 10 people have missed an energy bill because they ran out of money since Covid restrictions began. The call for action follows a YouGov poll for Citizens Advice Scotland that showed 15% of... Continue Reading →
Advance Loans Must Be Scrapped to Prevent Thousands Falling Into DWP Debt
Ruth Maguire MSP has added her voice to calls for the UK Government to convert Universal Credit advance payment loans into non-repayable grants. This comes after figures show 1.6 million people in receipt of the benefit suffered an average deduction of £60 in just one month at the height of lockdown. Two in five households... Continue Reading →
Almost 300,000 Scots Missing Out On £20 Weekly Increase in Universal Credit
Ruth Maguire MSP has called for the UK Government to extend the £20 per week uplift to the standard allowance of Universal Credit and basic element of Working Tax Credit to avoid an ‘unfair’ gap in support during the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. New figures from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) have revealed... Continue Reading →
Parents in North Ayrshire Encouraged to Apply for Best Start Grant
Ruth Maguire MSP has encouraged parents of children aged four to five to apply for the SNP Government’s Best Start Grant. A one-off £250 payment is currently open to eligible families, with a child who was born between 1st March 2015 and 29th February 2016, who will be starting primary school later this year. ... Continue Reading →
Ruth Maguire MSP (SNP) 