Image source, Getty Images

More than 200,000 children are growing up in poverty in Scotland, a new study suggested last November.

The survey for the End Child Poverty coalition suggested that 3.5 million children are living in poverty in the UK - with 220,000 of them in Scotland.

The worst-hit local authority area in Scotland is Glasgow, where 34.1% of children are affected.

The Shetland Islands (10.6%), Aberdeenshire (13.1%) and Orkney (14.1%) are the least affected.

According to the Child Poverty Action Group, which assessed benefit data, about 23% of children in Scotland live in low income households. That figure is up from 19% five years ago.

Read more here.

Peter Allan from Dundee City Council says his reading of the Bill is that "it is a good faith thing."

Mr Allan says the Scottish government will be looking for local authorities to work to reduce child poverty.

He says the notion of a broader framework for child poverty might be helpful.

Mr Allan says better scrutiny requires a a clearer picture of the causes of poverty. 

Dr Margaret Hannah from NHS Fife says the idea of universalism around public provision might be an important way of looking at how issues are addressed. 

Image source, Thinkstock

Plans aimed at dramatically cutting child poverty rates in Scotland were backed in a consultation last December.

The Child Poverty Bill will commit the government to reducing the number of children living in relative poverty to less than 10% by 2030, and in absolute poverty to less than 5%.

The rates currently stand at 22% and 21% respectively.

The government has published the 116 responses to its consultation, external on the proposals, which would also protect families' income by law.

Mr Tomkins asks what the panel think about the education attainment gap being added to the Bill. 

Peter Allan from Dundee City Council says you would think attainment would be a measure and perhaps more meaningful than waiting to see if the income target changes. 

Mr Allan says "it is difficult to argue that help will be focused on people that really need it rather than everyone."

Dr Margaret Hannah from NHS Fife says this has many dimensions and that educational attainment is one and health is another.

Dr Hannah says she is not sure about including additional measures in the Bill and that "the devil will be in the guidance."

Image source, Thinkstock

Changes to benefit rules, that came into force earlier this month, could push 200,000 more children into poverty, say campaigners.

Payments for some benefits will be limited to the first two children in a family.

The Child Poverty Action Group and Institute for Public Policy Research say some families will be almost £3,000 a year worse off under the new rules.

Ministers say they are determined to tackle the root causes of disadvantage and make work pay.

Tory MSP Adam Tomkins asks if it is sufficient to measure child poverty by income alone.

Peter Allan from Dundee City Council says it is often said "it is not all about the money but it is about the money".

Mr Allan says he is aware it is not only about the money.

Dr Margaret Hannah from NHS Fife says there are questions around wealth and debt and these factors can have an impact on mental health.

Mr Allan says we tend to measure income by looking at the parents and this measure is less focused on what the life of the child is like. 

Image source, bbc

More than a quarter of children in Scotland were living in relative poverty after housing costs in 2015-2016, according to government figures published last month.

It marks what charities described as a "devastating" rise of 4% from the previous year.

Overall figures show 1.05 million people in Scotland were in relative poverty after they had paid housing costs, up 2% from the previous year.

Ministers said making a fairer and more equal Scotland was a "core ambition".

John Dickie, director of the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, challenged both the Scottish and UK governments to act quickly to address the problem.

"We cannot afford to lose sight of the tens of thousands of children across Scotland that lie behind these statistics and the devastating impact that poverty will too often have on their health, wellbeing and life chances," Mr Dickie said.

Read more here.

Dr Margaret Hannah from NHS Fife says a target can be something that you aim for but there can also be an "attractor to mobilise efforts towards a goal."

Peter Allan from Dundee City Council says it is important to have a logic model and approach and set targets around those.

Mr Allan says all efforts should be put into practical measures.

He says the focus has been less on the long term but more on what can be changed in the short term. 

Professor Andrew Russell from NHS Tayside says targets are always a challenge because there are always aspirations but they must be achievable.

Prof Russell says "it is important that we don't get into a model where we are reporting for the sake of reporting. 

Image source, bbc

Peter Allan from Dundee City Council asks: "Do we know what good enough looks like in terms of child poverty?"

Mr Allan says this is important in the government's reports on child poverty and reporting on reasonable progress.

He says there needs to be more of a discussion about what targets would look like.

Image source, bbc

Robert McGregor from Fife Council says anything that raises the profile of child poverty is a must do.

Professor Andrew Russell from NHS Tayside says he was a GP for 20 years and there have been "years of aspiration with very little delivery".

Prof Russell says he welcomes the Bill.

Peter Allan from Dundee City Council says child poverty is something that noone is prepared to accept but this Bill makes a commitment to dealing with it.  

Image source, bbc

Labouer MSP Pauline McNeill asks why the Child Poverty Bill is needed.

Dr Margaret Hannah from NHS Fife says it is welcome partly because it focuses minds on a very difficult issue.

She says she is supportive of the idea, particularly after the UK government dropped its poverty target.

Social Security Committee, external deputy convener Pauline McNeill introduces: 

• Peter Allan from Dundee City Council
• Professor Andrew Russell from NHS Tayside 
• Robert McGregor from Fife Council
• Dr Margaret Hannah from NHS Fife

Legislation setting targets for the eradication of child poverty in Scotland was tabled at Holyrood in February.

The Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill, external will set a series of statutory targets to reduce, and ultimately wipe out, what minsters call a "systemic problem".

Studies show more than 200,000 children in Scotland are growing up in poverty.

Equalities Secretary Angela Constance said this was "utterly unacceptable", adding that the government is "utterly committed" to tackling the problem.

Image source, Getty Images

The legislation, external sets an initial target of cutting the number of children in relative poverty to less than 10% by 2030, and in absolute poverty to less than 5%. As of December 2016, the rates stood at 22% and 21% respectively.

The government said it would publish a three-year delivery plan by April 2018, which will be updated every five years alongside annual reports to measure progress.

Poverty has been shown to be the driver of inequalities from educational attainment to the health of children.