Question reference: S5W-24058
- Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee City East, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 26 June 2019
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Current status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 31 July 2019
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many children in each local authority area will receive support from the Scottish Child Payment.
Answer
The following table presents our current illustrative estimates of the number of children and families eligible for the Scottish Child Payment by local authority area, when the policy is fully rolled out to include all children in eligible families aged under 16.
Local Authority | Children | Families |
Aberdeen City | 10,800 | 7,000 |
Aberdeenshire | 11,800 | 6,800 |
Angus | 8,200 | 4,800 |
Argyll & Bute | 6,100 | 3,500 |
Clackmannanshire | 4,300 | 2,600 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 13,400 | 7,600 |
Dundee City | 13,600 | 8,300 |
East Ayrshire | 10,900 | 6,700 |
East Dunbartonshire | 5,200 | 3,200 |
East Lothian | 7,700 | 4,500 |
East Renfrewshire | 4,900 | 3,000 |
Edinburgh, City of | 29,000 | 17,900 |
Eileanan an Iar | 1,600 | * |
Falkirk | 12,300 | 7,400 |
Fife | 32,100 | 19,000 |
Glasgow City | 60,900 | 37,000 |
Highland | 17,300 | 9,600 |
Inverclyde | 6,900 | 4,400 |
Midlothian | 7,500 | 4,300 |
Moray | 5,900 | 3,400 |
North Ayrshire | 13,400 | 8,100 |
North Lanarkshire | 31,100 | 18,700 |
Orkney Islands | 1,500 | * |
Perth & Kinross | 10,600 | 6,200 |
Renfrewshire | 14,400 | 9,000 |
Scottish Borders | 8,400 | 4,900 |
Shetland Islands | 1,000 | * |
South Ayrshire | 8,000 | 4,900 |
South Lanarkshire | 24,800 | 15,200 |
Stirling | 5,200 | 3,100 |
West Dunbartonshire | 8,400 | 5,100 |
West Lothian | 16,400 | 9,500 |
Total | 410,000 | 250,000 |
* Number of families was below 100 and not reported in the data
** please note that figures may not add up due to rounding
The qualifying benefits for the Scottish Child Payment include Universal Credit and all the legacy benefits it is replacing, as well as Pension Credit. Universal Credit is in the process of being rolled out and current caseloads across local authorities are not representative of the long-term steady state. We also have limited information on the number of children in families on Universal Credit.
Given these limitations, we have estimated the above figures by applying proportions from HMRC data on the number of children and families receiving Tax Credits in each local authority prior to the rollout of Universal Credit Full Service. To avoid double counting and because most families with children in receipt of legacy benefits receive tax credits we have not factored in other legacy benefits.
The above caveats mean that the figures should be treated with caution and could overestimate or underestimate the numbers eligible in individual local authorities. We will continue to refine our analysis of the Scottish Child Payment as we develop the policy.