UK Government 'failing to take child poverty seriously' claims SNP MP

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The UK Government is failing to take the issue of child poverty seriously, an SNP MP has claimed.David Linden criticised Tory ministers after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirmed it had not carried out any assessment of a landmark devolved benefit since its introduction.The Scottish Child Payment is paid to eligible families north of the Border in addition to existing UK-wide child benefits administered by the DWP.It was introduced in February 2021 and was last year extended to children under-16, with £25 paid to parents per child each week.The benefit was welcomed by anti-poverty campaigners and the SNP has called for a UK-wide version to be introduced.But the DWP said it had "made no assessment on the introduction of a UK-wide Scottish Child Payment, similar to the one introduced by the Scottish Government."It is estimated by the respected Joseph Rowntree Foundation that one in four children in the UK lives in poverty - a total of just under four million.Linden, the SNP social justice spokesman at Westminster, said: "No child in a country as rich as the UK should be living in poverty, but the Tories do not take the problem seriously."It is only the Scottish Government that is making a real difference to families' lives with support that is only available in Scotland such as the Scottish Child Payment, which has been described as 'game-changing' by anti-poverty charities."However, the Scottish Government continues to act to tackle child poverty with one hand tied behind its back by the UK government who are more interested in cutting support than giving it out."That is why the only way we build a fairer, more equal Scotland is by becoming an independent country."The Record has asked the DWP for comment.T