Major update on benefit claimed by thousands of Scots
The consultation carried out after the move was announced last December received 260 responses
CHECK IT OUT Major update on benefit claimed by thousands of Scots
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
NATS ministers ploughed on with plans to scrap the two-child cap despite finding overwhelming opposition among Scots.
Three-quarters of responses to a Scottish Government consultation on the move were against axing the limit.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
1
Three-quarters of responses to a Scottish Gov consultation on the move were against axing the limit
Credit: Alamy
And ministers were repeatedly told parents should not have more kids than they can afford.
But despite the findings, SNP ministers this week said they would press ahead with the £155million-a-year plan from next March.
Scottish Conservative social security spokesman Alexander Stewart said the consultation responses 'show how out of touch the SNP are with the ordinary Scots who pick up the tab for the Nationalists' ballooning benefits bill'.
He said: 'The vast majority of the public back the two-child cap because it strikes the right balance.
'Social security payments must be fair both to people who are struggling and to taxpayers who have to weigh up their own finances when deciding how many children to have.'
The consultation carried out after the move was announced last December received 260 responses.
Of these, 190 said the SNP should keep the cap.
They were predominantly individuals, while the minority who backed the plan were mostly charities and anti-poverty organisations.
One said: 'Having children is a financial choice - it is not for the taxpayer to pay for people's choice to have more children.'
Another said 'taxpayers should not be responsible for bringing up children' and 'if you can't afford them, don't have them'.
Angela Rayner says lifting 2-child benefit cap not 'silver bullet' for ending poverty after demanding cuts for millions
One respondent said the policy was not about helping children but 'about the SNP helping themselves in next year's election', while another said the Nats were 'addicted to benefits' and saw them as 'a great vote booster'.
An 'easy read' summary of the consulation, published today, added that 'some people said mitigating the two-child cap might encourage people to have bigger families' or 'make people rely more on benefits and not work'.
The Scottish Government is currently spending around £1.3 billion more on benefits than would have been spent in Scotland if devolution of welfare hadn't taken place, due to additional spending decisions, and is forecast to be spending £2.1 billion more by 2029-30.
The minority that supported scrapping the cap mostly worked in organisations that work with impoverished families.
They highlighted the plight of families struggling to fee their children and the traumatic impact of the 'rape clause' the allows women to claim for addtional children if they were impregnated without consent.
Lifting the two-child cap is forecast to cost £155million next year, rising to £194million in 2029-30.
Polling in 2023 suggested just one in three Scots think the two-child benefits cap should be axed.
The rule was backed by 50 per cent of over-16s, according to YouGov. Only 32 per cent said it should be abolished, with 19 per cent of people unsure.
The policy applies to benefits including Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit, and stops parents from claiming for a third or additional child born after April 2017. It does not apply to Child Benefit.
Scottish Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville told MSPs this week that the two-child cap 'punishes people for having children'.
She said: 'The Scottish Government will deliver the effective scrapping of the two-child cap when Labour has failed to do so.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Starmer steel deal shows Swinney how nationalisation should work
A compelling read it certainly wasn't but it helped pass the time before the sun started to go down and I could think about dinner. Economists have never agreed on the benefits of nationalisation and history is littered with failed examples, particularly in the UK. But the two leaders currently occupying Bute House and Downing Street certainly seem to be in agreement that it's a good thing. And in many cases it is good but it's what you do with the assets as a Government after it is been taken into public control that is the important thing. It is here that John Swinney and Sir Keir Starmer diverge dramatically if recent events are anything to go by. Last week, a £500 million five-year deal was struck between Network Rail and British Steel to help save the Scunthorpe steelworks. British Steel is to supply 337,000 tonnes of rail track, which will secure thousands of manufacturing jobs. Why this is important is that it comes just two months after the UK Government used emergency powers to prevent the blast furnaces from immediate closure. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, said it 'truly transforms the outlook for British Steel and its dedicated workforce in Scunthorpe'. British Steel is to supply a minimum of 337,000 tonnes of long and short rail. A further 80-90,000 tonnes is to be provided by other European manufacturers and deals are expected to be announced shortly, the Department for Transport (DfT) said. In March, Chinese firm Jingye, which bought British Steel in 2020, proposed to shut Scunthorpe's two blast furnaces and other key steelmaking operations. Alan Simpson: The new £144m electric rail line without enough trains Alan Simpson: Build more houses for rural Scots, not tax second home owners Alan Simpson: NatureScot may be threatening a rare mussel it should be protecting Alan Simpson: Scotland's tourism sector needs to be heard before it's too late This came despite months of negotiations and a £500 million co-investment offer from the UK Government. As a result, Jingye launched a consultation which it said would affect between 2,000 and 2,700 jobs. In April, the UK Government used emergency powers to take control of British Steel and continue production at the site. The Scunthorpe plant has been producing steel for Britain's railways since 1865. The Network Rail contract, worth an estimated £500 million, starts on July 1 and is set to provide the company with 80% of its rail needs. To ensure security of supply, Network Rail is set to award smaller contracts to some European manufacturers, who will supply specialist rail products alongside British Steel. The agreement is the first major public procurement since the emergency legislation was passed. Both Network Rail and the Scunthorpe steel plant are both owned by the UK Government and the swift deal is clearly a direct benefit of being nationalised. No need for public procurement rules when both sites are state-owned. The Government sees it as being complimentary to the UK and US trade deal which aims to lower tariffs and protect jobs across key sectors, including steel. The deal also compares to the complete and utter horlicks that the Scottish Government has made following nationalisation of key industries. Ministers, of course, took over the stricken Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow in 2019 after it collapsed into administration. It seemed to be the right decision as the shipyard's main customer was the state-owned ferry body CMAL, so a steady stream of orders should have been expected. Instead the yard is facing an uncertain future after losing out on several publicly funded ferry building contracts. Now ministers have even halted a vital subsidy for the yard that is needed to bring in vital work to keep it alive, it can be development has raised alarm that the yard will not survive beyond any delivery of the much-delayed and over budget CalMac ferry Glen Rosa. The yard's business plan to 2029 assumed that the Scottish Government would sanction a direct award of the small vessel replacement programme. It was an integral part of a plan to deliver a 'sustainable, profitable, efficient and competitive yard'. After it was decided that the £175m contract would go to a competitive tender, CMAL, the state-controlled ferry procurer declared in March that the job to build seven new loch-class electric ferries would go to Poland .It previously awarded two other ferry contracts worth to £220m to Cemre Marin Endustri A.S (Turkey) - with Ferguson Marine again losing out. Transport secretary Fiona Hyslop confirmed a 'substantial subsidy' was needed to allow it to get a direct uncontested contract to build seven new small ferries and secure its future. But she admitted in correspondence with former community safety minister Ash Regan that that subsidy was not justified. Ms Regan has raised concerns that it was 'not the direct award that's the issue it's the unwillingness to put public money behind a public asset'. Ferguson Marine has been dogged with issues with the delivery of ferries Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa which were due online in the first half of 2018. The last estimates suggest the costs of delivery of the vessels for CalMac will have soared to more than five times the original £97m cost. The shipyard firm currently employs more than 400 staff including over 100 sub-contractors. Goodness knows how they must be feeling, knowing full well that the Scottish Government is in the process of sinking the yard once and for all. For all the arguments against nationalisation, no book on economics will ever list sheer incompetence by Government ministers as a reason it will fail. While there are very good reasons that the yard is struggling, one of the main reasons is the sheer complexity of the two ferries which have made them very difficult to build. As it was the current administration that insisted on the specifications of being dual fuel and 'green' then it seems extremely harsh for ministers to now throw the workforce under a bus. Sir Keir Starmer's Government has shown exactly how nationalisation should work for the benefit of the workforce and the economy as a whole. For it to be a success, there has to be a will, strategy and above all, economic competence amongst ministers. Ministers at Holyrood have shown none of that and the Ferguson's workforce and islanders have been left high and dry as a result.
STV News
2 hours ago
- STV News
Almost 30,000 community service orders breached in 11 years, figures show
Almost 30,000 breaches of community sentences have been recorded over 11 years, data obtained by the Scottish Conservatives shows. Of those who breached community payback orders (CPOs), 8,078 resulted in the offender being handed another community sentence while 7,956 led to a custodial sentence being imposed. The Tories said the freedom of information data showed 'the SNP's soft-touch justice system in action'. Figures showed 29,544 breaches of CPOs between 2012-13 and 2023-24. Justice Secretary Angela Constance has recently spoken of the need to 'shift the balance from custody to justice in the community' as part of measures to deal with prison overcrowding. Earlier this year, Constance announced there would be an independent review into sentencing and penal policy in Scotland. The Conservatives have called for more stringent sanctions for offenders who violate CPOs. Sharon Dowey MSP said: 'These shocking figures are yet more evidence of the SNP's soft-touch justice system in action. 'Given the increased use of community payback orders, the very least the public expect is for offenders to carry out the sentence imposed on them. 'Where there has been a breach, offenders should be properly punished rather than let off the hook. It defies belief that so many are simply having another CPO issued.' She added: 'It sends a clear message to criminals that there are no consequences for failing to pay their dues, which makes a mockery of the justice system. 'These figures are yet another example of John Swinney's Government pandering to criminals and betraying victims.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Community payback orders are a flexible and robust disposal, with a consistently lower reconviction rate compared to short prison sentences. 'That's why the budget for 2025-26 includes an additional £11m in support for community justice services and ongoing work to further enable a shift away from the use of custody. 'Where a CPO has been breached, it is up to the independent courts to decide the most appropriate outcome based on all of the circumstances of the case. 'Ultimately, this may include the imposition of a custodial sentence'. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Powys County Times
3 hours ago
- Powys County Times
UK must push for diplomatic solution following US strikes on Iran, says Swinney
John Swinney has said the UK must push for a diplomatic solution delivered by the international community, following the overnight US strikes on Iran's nuclear programme. The Scottish First Minister's response to the developments in the Middle East came after Sir Keir Starmer urged Iran to return to negotiations. UK minister Douglas Alexander said the Government 'has been putting contingencies in place' as the region braces for any potential retaliation from Iran. US President Donald Trump said three key nuclear sites in Iran were 'completely and fully obliterated' in the military strikes. The US is thought to have used B-2 stealth bombers to drop bunker-busting munitions on the sites – including the deeply-buried Fordo facility – as well as 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from submarines. The US-UK base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean is not thought to have been used in the operation. Posting on X, Mr Swinney said: 'The Middle East conflict has reached an alarmingly greater level of danger after the US attacks on Iran. 'The conflict must be stopped by a diplomatic solution delivered through the international community. And the UK Government must insist on that now.' The Prime Minister had earlier said Iran should 'return to the negotiating table', noting the region remains 'volatile'. The Middle East conflict has reached an alarmingly greater level of danger after the US attacks on Iran. The conflict must be stopped by a diplomatic solution delivered through the international community. And the U.K. Government must insist on that now. — John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) June 22, 2025 He said: 'Iran's nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. 'Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat.' Former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf was critical of the Prime Minister's response. He posted on social media: 'An awful statement from the PM, which ignores our collective responsibility to uphold international law. 'Supporting illegal military action in Iran, and gas-lighting us about an imminent nuclear threat, is hauntingly reminiscent of the lies told in the run up to the Iraq war.' During a protest march in London, Mr Yousaf had earlier accused the UK Government of 'abusing' anti-terror laws against the Palestine Action group, which vandalised two aircraft at RAF Brize Norton. Iran's nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat. The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. We call… — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 22, 2025 Trade policy minister Mr Alexander, who is the MP for Lothian East and a former international development minister, spoke to the BBC's Sunday Show. He said: 'I understand that people have woken up this morning to the news that was breaking overnight with a real sense of concern. 'I want to assure your viewers that the British Government has been putting contingencies in place. 'There have been a whole series of meetings, I and other have been attending Cobra meetings in the course of the week.'
