Welcome end in sight to two-child cap that's affected almost a thousand West Lothian families
It was announced that it will be removed from March 2 next year
Close to 1000 families in West Lothian are set to benefit from the scrapping of the two-child cap.
Linlithgow MSP Fiona Hyslop welcomed the Scottish Government's announcement that the cap will be removed from March 2 next year.
The two-child cap was introduced by the Tories as part of their programme of austerity and has subsequently become Labour policy, despite Keir Starmer's previous promises to scrap it.
Around 950 families in West Lothian have been affected by the two-cap policy.
By ending it the Scottish Government is ensuring 20,000 fewer children in Scotland will live in relative poverty next year.
Fiona Hyslop said: 'I welcome the news that the Scottish Government is ending the two-child cap in Scotland.
'The UK Government's decision to continue the two-child cap has harmed 950 households in West Lothian but from next year this will end due to action taken by the Scottish Government.
'The Scottish Government has stepped in to mitigate the harm caused by the UK Government and this makes clear John Swinney's commitment to tackling child poverty in Scotland.
'This policy will provide much-needed support to families across West Lothian when the two-child cap ends next March.'
The MSP also welcomed a visit by Scotland's Health Secretary to West Lothian on Tuesday on Tuesday, June 17 during the launch of two health related framewoks.
She said: 'It was great to see Neil Gray MSP chose to visit Blackburn Partnership Centre to launch Scotland's Population Health Framework and the Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework.
'These are major national policy frameworks are focused on prevention and joined-up community care to help people lead healthier lives and there is so much happening in Blackburn which already is delivering on this.
'The launch of both of these frameworks shows clear progress towards delivering the Scottish Government's vision for a healthier, fairer and more resilient Scotland.
'I was pleased to see the Cabinet Secretary visit Blackburn Partnership Centre, in my Constituency, as part of this launch.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
26 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
'I was hospitalised with a panic attack after DWP cuts news - I was frantic'
Lorraine Griffin, from Dudley, was hospitalised with a panic attack when the cuts to welfare benefits were announced earlier this year as she feared the impact on her sons A mum of two children with autism has said it is 'unthinkable' to think about how her family will suffer if they can't access vital disability benefits. Lorraine Griffin, from Dudley, was hospitalised with a panic attack when the cuts to welfare benefits were announced earlier this year. 'I was absolutely frantic because in your head, it's the worst case scenario, isn't it? Suddenly your bit of stability can just vanish, go up in smoke. It's awful. 'I'm not just talking for me. I'm talking about all the other families that I know so well, in school, in my autism groups, lots of Facebook groups, I'm talking for them too." Her sons Sam, 13, and Ben, 12, currently receive the medium and high amounts of Disability Living Allowance. But the boys will have to apply for the under-threat Personal Independence Payments when they turn 16. 'We do rely on that money for their needs... I can't even fathom in my head, not qualifying for PIP. Just because we get disability finances and disability benefits, we're not rolling in it. We're not mega rich. It doesn't mean that at all. 'It just means that that money is there for us with our everyday needs.' Lorraine said she currently needs the extra money to pay for anything from medication to clothing to taxis. She said her son Ben won't wear clothing so she has to buy leotards from a specialist website which cost an 'absolute fortune'. If their benefits were cut, she said 'a whole range of things would have to go'. 'It's unthinkable to be honest,' she added. The 53-year-old said the Government was "picking on the most vulnerable, the disabled, for goodness sake. She said: "I can't believe it.' Lorraine is pleading with Keir Starmer to hit the 'pause button' on his PIP changes. 'I hope that they see sense and just press the pause button and have another look and have another think and see what they can do. I really hope so. 'Obviously they've all got constituents like me, they need to listen, don't they, and take into consideration what it means for us. I really hope they do.'
Daily Mirror
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
'DWP disability benefit cuts could become Labour's poll tax moment'
It's with a heavy heart that I write about the Government's proposed Welfare Reform Bill. The planned cuts to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) are already turning the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in Britain into a nightmare of fear and uncertainty. These changes are not the way forward. Moreover, they are certainly not remotely helpful to those who rely on PIP to live with dignity and independence. We cannot claim to be a democratic and inclusive society if we punish people for circumstances beyond their control, while pretending we are levelling the playing field. These cuts do not fix a broken system — they make it worse. In my Bradford East constituency, where half of all children are growing up in poverty, I hear first-hand from constituents who are terrified they may lose their PIP support. The sense of panic is real. And so is the damage. Let's be honest with ourselves: PIP supports people with serious physical or mental health needs — people who often require help to cut their food, to wash, or to go to the toilet. These are not luxuries. They are necessities. And losing that support would strip away the last threads of independence and dignity that people have. The anxiety is palpable. People already feel pushed to the brink. Now, they fear falling off it altogether. These reforms may have been presented with good intentions, but they place us on a road that leads straight back to austerity and failure. They are not guided by a moral compass, but by the cold calculations of a Treasury spreadsheet — the same spreadsheet that failed to anticipate the human impact of scrapping the Winter Fuel Allowance. Let me be absolutely clear: these cuts are not the Labour way. If passed it will lead to extreme poverty for the most vulnerable in its tracks. That's why I have joined more than 100 Labour MPs in signing a reasoned amendment to stop this unjust legislation in its tracks. I urge the Government to heed the warnings of Labour MPs, disability rights campaigners, and charities. If they do not, we risk walking straight into a political disaster — one that could become Labour's poll tax moment. We must learn the lessons of the Winter Fuel U-turn. When it was clear the policy was wrong, we changed course. We must do the same here. Because let's be honest - we all know this is wrong. It is wrong to persecute those most in need. It is wrong to target people with mental health conditions. It is wrong to attack the most vulnerable. Follow our Mirror Politics account on Bluesky here. And follow our Mirror Politics team here - Lizzy Buchan, Mikey Smith, Kevin Maguire, Sophie Huskisson, Dave Burke and Ashley Cowburn. Be first to get the biggest bombshells and breaking news by joining our Politics WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you want to leave our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Or sign up here to the Mirror's Politics newsletter for all the best exclusives and opinions straight to your inbox. And listen to our exciting new political podcast The Division Bell, hosted by the Mirror and the Express every Thursday. That is why I will not vote for this Bill. Because stripping away vital support is not the way to build a fairer society. The Government must rethink these damaging proposals, reject further cuts to disability benefits, and focus instead on raising living standards and protecting those most at risk. There are clear and fair alternatives available. The Government could raise funds through a simple two per cent wealth tax on the super-rich — which could raise £24 billion a year-would put The burden on the broadest shoulders, while protecting those most in need. It could continue to invest in jobs, infrastructure and public services to revitalise the economy after 14 years of Tory decline. Instead, this Bill targets those least able to fight back. It sows fear, breeds injustice, and abandons principle. If we continue down this path, we risk repeating the mistakes of the past — and creating a defining failure of this Government.
The Guardian
33 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Review calls for £10m overhaul of the Office for National Statistics
The UK's main statistics body needs a £10m overhaul and its top role split in two after a series of management failings and errors that have plagued the organisation for several years, a scathing report has found. The Devereux Review on performance and culture of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found 'deep-seated' issues that called for radical measures and warned of the likelihood that past statistics would need to retrospectively revised. Sir Robert Devereux, a retired career civil servant, said the role of national statistician should be split in two, creating a new role of ONS permanent secretary to oversee a wide-ranging reorganisation, alongside the national statistician, who assumes responsibility for the accuracy of published data. 'This new permanent secretary position could be handed to someone with a track record of leading and turning around an operational business,' Devereux said. He added: 'I suggest temporary separation since, with more effort to develop evident talent within the government statistical service, I think it might well be possible to recombine the roles in due course, once the organisation's core business is back on a more stable footing.' The role of national statistician is vacant after Prof Sir Ian Diamond retired due to ill health during the review. Among the searing criticisms in the review, Devereux said there was 'a weak system of planning and budgeting' and a reluctance at senior levels to hear and act on difficult news. The review said there was a 'reluctance on the part of some to take at face value the warnings which have been raised, apparently preferring instead to categorise those making the warnings as lacking in accountability'. Officials at the Bank of England and the Treasury, MPs and City analysts have criticised the ONS's operations after its surveys were hit by falling participation rates among businesses and the public during the pandemic, leading to questions about the validity of its data. The ONS, which is based in Newport, south Wales, has sought to increase the rate of responses to its surveys, but with only limited success. In particular, its labour market data showing the level of employment in the UK economy have been heavily revised in recent years. The consumer prices index and the retail prices index were recently found to be incorrect after an error by a government agency supplying the ONS with data pushed the headline rate up by 0.1 percentage points to 3.5% in April. The ONS refused to amend the figure, arguing that investors who bought inflation-linked financial products would claim compensation. Acting national statistician Emma Rourke said the report marked 'a turning point for the ONS as we commit to implement the recommendations and reset towards a culture that embraces feedback and challenge'. The ONS has also published a £10m plan to improve the accuracy of its economic and population statistics. It said that improving the accuracy of ONS statistics will take collective effort. 'In some cases, this may mean revising published figures or historical series. That is not a sign of failure, but of a statistical system willing to evolve, led by evidence, and open about how it improves. 'We will work closely with users to ensure revisions and breaks in series are well managed, with support provided to users.' Devereux said senior managers had become focused on delivering new IT systems, diverting resources from existing system upgrades. 'There has been a commendable interest in both new approaches to statistics (including the use of administrative data) and ensuring the relevance of ONS activity to wider political debate. Unfortunately, this has had the (unintended) effect of de-prioritising the less exciting, but nonetheless crucial, task of delivering core economic statistics of sufficient quality to guide decision making,' he said. For instance, problems with trade data 'reflected known concerns' about flaws in the computer system used to compile the figures, but nothing was done about it until an error occurred. The producer price index, which measures the cost of raw materials and components used in industry, was flawed after staff stuck with old coding methods, reducing their ability to spot errors, said Devereux. In 2020, the ONS shifted publication of economic statistics from 9.30am to 7am. Concerns that this put added pressure on staff to verify and comment on data outside office hours sparked a review by the statistics regulator. The review found a move back to 9.30am would not be possible due in part to the weakness of the IT systems.
