John Swinney: 'Child poverty levels are falling, but not by enough'

The First Minister has said child poverty levels in Scotland are falling, but that they are “not falling enough”.

John Swinney said that there is still “more to do” when it comes to eradicating the problem but that poverty levels in Scotland are lower than they were 30 years ago.

He added that they are also falling at a time when child poverty is increasing in the rest of the UK.

“There’s a whole amount of information that demonstrates quite clearly that we are making progress in the journey to eradicate child poverty,” the First Minister said.

“There is more that we have to do.”

He said he believes that “whole family support” is the “pathway to eradicate child poverty”.

Swinney said the Government has already done certain things, like introducing the Scottish Child Payment and deciding to lift the two-child limit from March next year.

On Wednesday, he went even further, announcing that Fairer Futures Partnerships (FFP) schemes will be expanded to continue fighting child poverty.

“Through the Fairer Futures Partnerships, backed by £4 million investment this year, we are working hand-in-hand with local authorities, communities, and the third sector to deliver real, lasting change,” Swinney said.

In addition, the Scottish Government is making up to £1.12 million of Adopt and Adapt funding available to local authorities not currently engaged in FFPs.

Swinney said: “This is essentially a national mission for Scotland. This is our central mission as a country, to ensure, together, we are able to succeed in this journey of eradicating child poverty.