Current status: Answered by Alex Neil on 1 December 2015
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered the Scottish Youth Parliament’s report, It’s not a choice: An analysis of young people’s perceptions of poverty and rights, and, if so, what subsequent action it is taking to reduce child and youth poverty.
Yes. I met with representatives from the Scottish Youth Parliament on 28 October 2015 to discuss a number of issues, including their report, It's not a choice. There are clear links between the Scottish Youth Parliament's work on poverty and the Scottish Government's ongoing Fairer Scotland discussion. I agreed to hold a joint Fairer Scotland session to ensure that young people are fully engaged in the process and that event took place on 26 November 2015. I will also meet with the Scottish Youth Parliament's Social Justice Committee early in 2016 to discuss areas of shared interest.
The Scottish Government's approach to child poverty is articulated in the Child Poverty Strategy for Scotland 2014-17, which contains a detailed measurement framework addressing the wide range of drivers of poverty and the impacts poverty has on the lives of children and their families. The latest annual report on the strategy was published on 9 October 2015 and is available here: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/10/9574.