Chamber and committees

Karin, the Robertson Trust has advocated increasing the amount of unrestricted core funds. How have you adapted the reporting requirements for those who receive funding? What feedback have you had from people who have been in receipt of Robertson Trust funding on those changes or further changes that they want to see?

Professor Jung, what is your view on reporting and how information from organisations could be used better?

Neil, in your written response, you mention the need for

“a more equitable dynamic between the funder and funded groups”.

Relationships are important. Will you say something about the National Lottery Community Fund’s experience in that respect?

That was very helpful.

I am pleased to bring to the chamber this debate to mark challenge poverty week 2024, and I thank members of all parties who signed the motion to allow the debate to take place. It is an important symbol of the cross-party consensus that really ought to govern how we debate in Parliament issues with regard to tackling poverty in all its forms. Although we will disagree on policy, it is important that Parliament is united in debating these issues, because we know that poverty in Scotland remains unacceptably high. The “Poverty in Scotland 2024” report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation highlights that very deep poverty in Scotland is up to 40 per cent, having surged since the mid-1990s, and that 240,000 children still languish in poverty; rates of child poverty remain static, as so much research has now demonstrated.

There is much work to be done across all spheres of Government, in the Parliament and in the Scottish Government, but I also recognise the role of the United Kingdom Government and of local government in that work. In a previous debate this week, I said that it was important that the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice both launched the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report together on Monday, and responded together, thinking about how they could embark on a new partnership for how we tackle poverty.

I do not want to relitigate too heavily the politics of the issue, some of which we have heard about this week, but I hope that the debate ends up being the discussion that we should have had in Government time earlier in the week, which the Government chose not to have. It is important that, in challenge poverty week, we show our respect to the third sector organisations and anti-poverty campaigners that put in so much to this week and all year round to ensure that the issues are at the forefront of our agenda in Parliament.

This week provides a vital point in the year when civil society can come together and showcase what is happening out there and the best practice across Scotland. It is important to mention the work of the Poverty Alliance, which has co-ordinated challenge poverty week each year since 2013. Bringing together all groups and projects is no small task, especially on top of all the other work that the organisation does year round. I am pleased that we are joined in the gallery today by representatives of the Poverty Alliance, and I am sure that we are all very grateful for the work that it does and for the briefing that it provided to all members.

There is much work to do and many areas in which we need different interventions. As I said, all spheres of government must take tailored approaches to ensure that we reach everyone, no matter their background. That is evident from the themes that have been highlighted each day of this important week.

We could look at the issue of housing. We have many debates in the chamber about housing, and we have had some recently. The effects of inadequate and unaffordable housing on poverty rates are significant, and we need to understand how the housing emergency affects different groups. That is why I welcome Shelter Scotland and Engender’s research, published this week, which shows the disproportionate effects that are felt by women and the need for a gendered response to the housing emergency.

On transport, we need to support people to access their places of work, business and services and their support network. It is concerning to see the end of the off-peak rail fares pilot, which increases the costs to working people who commute to work. The distance covered by local bus services has fallen by 15 per cent since 2011-12, and the number of passenger journeys has fallen by 52 per cent since 2007-08. There is much more that we need to do in this place and across our local authorities to support and empower people to use public transport.

Will the member give way?

I am interested in fairness, which is why I welcome the UK Government’s publication today of the Employment Rights Bill, which will bring about the biggest increase in workers’ rights in a generation—ending fire and rehire, banning exploitative zero-hours contracts and introducing day 1 rights. That is all in the first 100 days of a Labour Government. [Interruption.]

What about the Scottish Government’s fair work agenda? I and colleagues have written to Government ministers about fair work in the night-time economy and social care, and we have been told that no support is forthcoming to deliver on the promises that this Government made on fair work. When will the Government make good on its fair work promises? In the spirit of new partnership, what work has the Government done with the new Labour Government to ensure the implementation of those workers’ rights, here in Scotland?

I thank my friend for his intervention; he makes an important point. As we discuss these thematic issues, it is clear to me that poor health, particularly poor mental health, can be a result of poverty and that poverty can be a social determinant of health. We need to deal with that in a very serious way. It is important that we put that on the record today and think about what our interventions can be in that space. I also thank Paul Sweeney for the work that he does in that regard and for the work that he has done on free travel for asylum seekers, who are some of the poorest individuals in our society.

Adequate income is an important theme of this week. In-work poverty is at record levels, and we need to look at the level of income that working people receive to make sure that it meets their needs. I point to the work of Close the Gap, representatives of which I and my Scottish Labour colleagues met yesterday, along with other members of the End Child Poverty coalition. Close the Gap has highlighted that inadequate income for women and the gender pay gap are directly tied to child poverty. That is why I welcome the work that the UK Government is doing to introduce the new deal for working people, which will begin to tackle the insecurity, instability and low pay in work that add to poverty.

Ms Haughey and I have debated these issues many times, and she knows that I am committed to a review of universal credit that includes the two-child limit. That work has been set in the context of the child poverty task force, which the UK Government is taking forward. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions began that work along with the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson. The work is important, because—as I have said many times in the chamber—universal credit does not work. All parts of it need to be reviewed, and a considered piece of work must be done to review those issues in relation to reducing child poverty.

I want to touch briefly on the work that is being done on food insecurity, across this week and more broadly by organisations. We all know that it is a travesty that food banks are necessary in modern-day Scotland and we all want to work for a society in which nobody needs to rely on them. However, they demonstrate the best of people in our communities, who want to throw their arms around those who are most in need.

I take this opportunity to highlight the many community groups in my region that run food banks, food pantries and food security projects. They do admirable work. It is not only about the provision of food but about taking a holistic view of how to support people who most need it. Often, that approach can support people with their mental health and with what is going on in their life. I point to the work of Morton in the Community, which is the charitable arm of Greenock Morton FC, and which hosts collections for Inverclyde food bank and offers a range of services at the club to support people.

I am conscious of time. I finish by mentioning one further thing that has been highlighted this week, which is sustainable funding for the third sector. All these projects are vitally important, but organisations cannot continue to do that work without sustainable and fair funding. I know that the minister and the Government have heard me speak about that, and it is very important that we reflect on it today. I hope that the minister will be able to cover that in summing up.

I am grateful for the debate, and I hope that it is constructive.