A report putting the cost of child poverty to Scotland as high as £1.5bn to £1.75bn underlines the need for a government-wide approach to tackling the problem, Nicola Sturgeon said today.

The new Scottish Government publication gives a figure of £0.5bn to £0.75bn for the direct cost of child poverty due to extra spending on services.

But it also estimates that the annual knock-on cost to the public purse of young people not in employment, education or training could be as high as another £1bn.

Sturgeon said the high cost of child poverty estimated in the report highlighted the need for a cross-governmental framework for tackling poverty, which the Scottish Government has already pledged to put in place by the end of this year.

She also reaffirmed the Scottish Government's commitment to the UK-wide target to eradicate child poverty by 2020.

"Although the report's author acknowledges the difficulty in pinning down exact figures for the cost of child poverty, this is nevertheless an important and timely piece of research.

"An important message in the report is that helping parents into work is probably the single most important way of lifting children out of poverty.

"It's clear that some parents find it difficult to access employment and the Scottish Government is keen to help parents into work wherever possible. But we also want our public services to respond to the needs of all children in poverty, to reduce inequality and give them the best possible start in life.

"The report concludes that child poverty results in increased public spending across health, education, housing, social services and youth justice - reinforcing the need for a cross-governmental response.

Sturgeon said that the aim of the planned poverty framework was to ensure that every arm of government was focused on how its work can have an impact on poverty.

"This will help us channel our efforts across the policy agenda, as we work towards achieving the UK-wide target of eradicating child poverty by 2020."

See the report in full
 

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