Delivering a Greener, Fairer, Independent Scotland - One Year On

A Fairer Scotland

• Over 106,000 children benefitting from the £20 per week Scottish Child Payment
• Introduced the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill
• Proposed the New Deal for Tenants

The cost of living crisis is leaving those most vulnerable in society at greater risk of falling into poverty, making our commitment to a fairer Scotland more important than ever before. The SNP Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party are united in the commitment to eradicating child poverty and agree that Scotland should be the best place in the world to grow up.

Significant work has been done since the Agreement to deliver a fairer, more equal Scotland. The Scottish Child Payment was doubled to £20 per week per eligible child from April 2022, a payment unique to Scotland designed to lift children out of poverty. Estimates suggest over 106,000 children were in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment by the end of March 2022. Work is also underway to extend Scottish Child Payment to under 16s and a further increase to £25 per week by the end of 2022. The extension forms part of the 'Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022 – 2026', which also commits to delivering a new Parental Transition Fund to tackle financial insecurity for families when parents and carers enter the labour market, backed by up to £15 million each year. With household finances being stretched now more than ever the commitment to invest at least £7 million per year to mitigate the deeply damaging effects of the UK Government's Benefit Cap which hits the poorest families the hardest has never been more important.

Best Start Foods, a prepaid card that can be used in shops or online to buy healthy food, is being extended to people in Scotland subject to the UK immigration status of No Recourse to Public Funds who meet existing eligibility criteria, mitigating some the harmful impacts this status can have on affected people's lives.

Ministers believe that equality, inclusion and human rights should underpin decision-making and delivery across the work of government and the wider public sector in Scotland. Work has progressed in protecting and advancing LGBTI rights, in recognition that trans people continue to suffer poorer outcomes relative to the wider population. The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill was introduced to parliament on 2 March 2022. The Bill will ensure that the system for trans people to obtain legal recognition is simplified, reducing the trauma associated with the current process.

The Scottish Government has committed to bringing forward legislation to implement a ban on conversion practices in Scotland which is as comprehensive as is possible under currently devolved powers by the end of 2023. An Expert Advisory Group on Ending Conversion Practices has been established and is working on forming recommendations for the Scottish Government. These will be published later in 2022.

Ministers believe that adequate housing is a fundamental human right, and we have been working together to prevent and end homelessness in Scotland. A consultation on a New Deal for Tenants was run successfully, with responses gathered from a wide range of stakeholders. The responses received will help inform policy development and some legislative aspects will be included in a Housing Bill. This will provide better protection against eviction, new rights to keep pets and decorate, along with a commitment to deliver robust rent controls. In addition, councils now have the power to control holiday lets in areas where they are putting pressure on residential housing.