Talking-up Scotland

From the Social Mobility Commission this week inverting the BBC Scotland editorial guidelines of finding something, anything bad, among hunners o’ good things, I’ve picked out these comments:

The Commission is particularly excited about the new Fairer Scotland Duty, introduced in 2018, which is encouraging public bodies in Scotland to consider how best to help disadvantaged people. The Commission will continue to monitor the impact of this new duty in helping to increase social mobility. The Scottish Government has also introduced a duty to reduce child poverty to under 10 per cent by 2030. (129)

There has also been a reduction in Scotland in the gap between the most deprived and least deprived initially going on to education, employment or training after leaving school: the gap was 14.6 percentage points in 2009/10 and has reduced to 6.8 percentage points in 2017/18. (132)

Despite the recent rise in child poverty rates in Scotland, which can be partly attributed to UK-wide benefit changes, it is clear that reducing child poverty is a priority for the Scottish Government. To support the ambitious intention to reduce relative child poverty (after housing costs) to less than 10 per cent by 2030, the Scottish Government published a detailed delivery plan.10 It is too early for these policies to have had an impact. (136)

The Commission welcomes the Scottish Government’s introduction of the socio-economic duty which puts in place a requirement for public bodies to consider the impact on all members of society when making important decisions. (138)

The Commission welcomes the Scottish Government’s decision to maintain a clear focus and set of objectives on child poverty, including legislating to reduce child poverty to under 10 per cent by 2030. (139)

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/798404/SMC_State_of_the_Nation_Report_2018-19.pdf