NATALIE DON MSP WELCOMES SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT’S £4BN INVESTMENT IN SOCIAL SECURITY PROTECTION

Natalie Don MSP has welcomed the Scottish Government’s £4bn of investment to support and protect low income people in Renfrewshire and across Scotland.

The MSP for Renfrewshire North and West hailed confirmation by Finance Secretary, Kate Forbes MSP, that the SNP Government’s 2022/23 budget includes £197m for the Scottish Child Payment – which is set to be doubled to £20 per child per week at the start of April – and children will also be supported to have the best start in life with £17.8m being committed to the Best Start Grant and £13.1m being invested in Best Start Foods.

People with a disability will also be supported by the Scottish Government’s £1.9bn of investment in the new Adult Disability Payment and £444m in the Disability Living Allowance, and carers will also benefit from £314m going towards the Carers Allowance plus an extra £41.8m for the Carer’s Allowance Supplement.

Natalie Don MSP welcomes the Scottish Government’s £4bn of investment to support and protect low income people in Renfrewshire and across Scotland.

Natalie Don MSP said: “The SNP Scottish Government is continuing to build a social security system built on fairness, dignity and respect – in stark contrast to the Westminster Tory government which is focused on hammering the poorest in society, as we saw with their recent callous cut to Universal Credit by £20-a-week.

“I am pleased that low income families throughout Renfrewshire will benefit from the doubling of the Scottish Child Payment at the start of April, and payments like Best Start Foods and the Best Start Grant will assist many children to have a better start in life

 “With out-of-touch Westminster Tory politicians continuing to decide the vast majority of welfare policies which are having such damaging impacting on the most vulnerable people in our Renfrewshire communities, the Scottish Government is showing exactly why we need full powers over all social security in the Scottish Parliament to complete our national mission of eradicating child poverty.”

For more details about the Scottish Budget, go to www.gov.scot/budget