A new scrutiny report by the Poverty and Inequality Commission is published today (4 June) following the Scottish Government Ministerial Statement on its Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan – Annual Progress Report 2023-24.
In preparing the annual Child Poverty Progress Report, Scottish Ministers must consult the Poverty and Inequality Commission on the progress that is being made towards meeting Scotland’s statutory child poverty targets.
In its report the Poverty and Inequality Commission assesses the action that has been taken during 2023-24 and whether this is likely to be sufficient to meet the 2023/24 interim targets and 2030 targets. The Commission makes recommendations about what further action is needed to meet the 2030 targets.
The Commission’s report makes four recommendations for the Scottish Government:
- Recommendation 1: The Scottish Government should convene and lead a national cross-party and civil society agreement to develop a shared six year strategy to meet the 2030 child poverty targets. This cross-party approach should consider the choices that need to be made around tax and spending.
- Recommendation 2: The Scottish Government should reprioritise funding to ensure that the necessary resources are made available to deliver both its existing commitments and future actions to tackle child poverty. This will require the Scottish Government to reprioritise budgets across portfolios and consider the eligibility criteria for different services and support.
- Recommendation 3: The Scottish Government should act quickly on the recommendations set out in the Commission’s report How better tax policy can reduce poverty and inequality.
- Recommendation 4: The Scottish Government should clarify and further develop how the priority family types are used to inform policy development, implementation and monitoring in policy areas related to the three key drivers of poverty.