Tackling Poverty in Scotland: Scottish Government's Approach

1. Note of Meeting of Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum 30 May 2008 – Annex A

2. Poverty in Scotland - developing the Scottish Government’s approach Brian Dornan Head of Tackling Poverty Team Public Health & Wellbeing Directorate Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

3. What do poverty and inequality look like in Scotland? Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

4. Poverty is a couple with two children living on less than £17,000 per year, or a single person living on less than £7,500 per year • 1 in 6 people in Scotland are poor, including 210,000 children, 470,000 working age adults and 190,000 pensioners • Poverty is defined and measured using income, but the experience of poverty is not just about goods being unaffordable, and the solution is not just fiscal • Poverty causes social exclusion and is both cause and effect of different experiences in education, the labour market, health, housing and justice Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

5. 21% of children are in poverty • 38% of households in poverty have someone in work • 52% of children living in poverty are in households with working adult • 470,000 working-age adults are in poverty (up from 440,000 10 years ago) • Not just an area deprivation problem- 77% of people in poverty live outside 15% ‘most deprived’ data zones Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

6. Experience of poverty “I now buy food and bring it home – cooked chicken and things like that, because I’m scared to use the oven because I know it costs too much money. I only use the washing machine twice a week because I’m scared of what it costs” “I’m really panicking about the rise in gas and electricity prices – and food is now a problem for me too. I am struggling to put food on the table after paying the bills” (source: JRF, “Voices of People Experiencing Poverty in Scotland” 2007) Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

7. Source: Eurostat. 2006 data. Scotland added.

9. Inequality • The poorest tenth of the population receive 2% of the country's total income • The second poorest tenth receive 4% • The third poorest tenth receive 8% • The bottom three deciles combined receive 14% - this has not changed in ten years • The Solidarity Target aims to change this • In contrast: • The richest tenth have 30% • The top three deciles receive over 50% of all income Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

10. Source: Scottish House Condition Survey 2005/06

11. Source: Scottish House Condition Survey 2005/06

12. The Government Economic Strategy and poverty/ Solidarity The strategic approach to delivering the Government’s purpose: “To focus the Government and public services on creating a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth.” Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

13. Monitoring Progress

14. Purpose Target: Solidarity: Increase overall income and the proportion of income earned by the three lowest income deciles as a group by 2017 National Indicator 14: Poverty Decrease the proportion of individuals living in private households with an equivalised income of less than 60% of the UK median before housing costs Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team

15. Key Areas for Action: • Prevention of poverty and tackling root causes • Helping to lift people out of poverty • Alleviating the impact of poverty • Next steps: • Consultation runs to end June • Anti-Poverty Framework to be published this year Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team