Friday 04 Apr 2008 @ 14:54
Scottish Government
Scottish Government
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Cost of child poverty in Scotland
A report putting the cost of child poverty to Scotland as high as £1.5-1.75 billion underlines the need for a government-wide approach to tackling the problem, Nicola Sturgeon said today.
The new Scottish Government publication Estimating the Cost of Child Poverty - Approaches and Evidence gives a figure of £0.5-0.75 billion for the direct cost of child poverty due to extra spending on services.
But it also estimates that the annual knock-on cost to the public purse of young people not in employment, education or training could be as high as another £1 billion.
Ms Sturgeon said the high cost of child poverty estimated in the report highlighted the need for a cross-governmental framework for tackling poverty, which the Scottish Government has already pledged to put in place by the end of this year.
She also reaffirmed the Scottish Government's commitment to the UK-wide target to eradicate child poverty by 2020.
Ms Sturgeon said:
"Although the report's author acknowledges the difficulty in pinning down exact figures for the cost of child poverty, this is nevertheless an important and timely piece of research.
"An important message in the report is that helping parents into work is probably the single most important way of lifting children out of poverty.
"It's clear that some parents find it difficult to access employment and the Scottish Government is keen to help parents into work wherever possible. But we also want our public services to respond to the needs of all children in poverty, to reduce inequality and give them the best possible start in life.
"The report concludes that child poverty results in increased public spending across health, education, housing, social services and youth justice - reinforcing the need for a cross-governmental response.
"The aim of our Framework, which will be in place by the end of this year, is to ensure that every arm of government is focused on how its work can have an impact on poverty, so that everyone in Scotland can share in increased economic growth.
"This will help us channel our efforts across the policy agenda, as we work towards achieving the UK-wide target of eradicating child poverty by 2020."
The Report, Estimating the Cost of Child Poverty - Approaches and Evidence takes evidence from selected wards and detailed data from a single local authority, Fife, and extrapolates the estimated additional costs associated with child poverty to give a figure for Scotland as a whole.
In January, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon, launched the Scottish Government's Discussion Paper on Tackling Poverty, Inequality and Deprivation in Scotland".
The Scottish Government has also announced the creation of the £435 million Fairer Scotland Fund, designed to support projects to address poverty, inequality and deprivation over the period 2008-11. Each of Scotland's Community Planning Partnerships has received a fair share of the fund.
Related Information
The new Scottish Government publication Estimating the Cost of Child Poverty - Approaches and Evidence gives a figure of £0.5-0.75 billion for the direct cost of child poverty due to extra spending on services.
But it also estimates that the annual knock-on cost to the public purse of young people not in employment, education or training could be as high as another £1 billion.
Ms Sturgeon said the high cost of child poverty estimated in the report highlighted the need for a cross-governmental framework for tackling poverty, which the Scottish Government has already pledged to put in place by the end of this year.
She also reaffirmed the Scottish Government's commitment to the UK-wide target to eradicate child poverty by 2020.
Ms Sturgeon said:
"Although the report's author acknowledges the difficulty in pinning down exact figures for the cost of child poverty, this is nevertheless an important and timely piece of research.
"An important message in the report is that helping parents into work is probably the single most important way of lifting children out of poverty.
"It's clear that some parents find it difficult to access employment and the Scottish Government is keen to help parents into work wherever possible. But we also want our public services to respond to the needs of all children in poverty, to reduce inequality and give them the best possible start in life.
"The report concludes that child poverty results in increased public spending across health, education, housing, social services and youth justice - reinforcing the need for a cross-governmental response.
"The aim of our Framework, which will be in place by the end of this year, is to ensure that every arm of government is focused on how its work can have an impact on poverty, so that everyone in Scotland can share in increased economic growth.
"This will help us channel our efforts across the policy agenda, as we work towards achieving the UK-wide target of eradicating child poverty by 2020."
The Report, Estimating the Cost of Child Poverty - Approaches and Evidence takes evidence from selected wards and detailed data from a single local authority, Fife, and extrapolates the estimated additional costs associated with child poverty to give a figure for Scotland as a whole.
In January, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon, launched the Scottish Government's Discussion Paper on Tackling Poverty, Inequality and Deprivation in Scotland".
The Scottish Government has also announced the creation of the £435 million Fairer Scotland Fund, designed to support projects to address poverty, inequality and deprivation over the period 2008-11. Each of Scotland's Community Planning Partnerships has received a fair share of the fund.
Related Information
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/01/28111819/0
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/02/01150409/0
