Lothians MSP Jeremy Balfour has hit out at the SNP Government for failing to fully promote support available from the Scottish Welfare Fund during the lockdown period.
The Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP, who sits on the Parliament’s social security committee criticism comes following a report from the Poverty and Inequality Commission.
The report says the uptake of the Scottish Welfare Fund was lower than expected during lockdown, despite an increase of foodbanks and applications to charity funded grants.
Given the circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was expected that spending on the Scottish Welfare Fund as part of the overall 2020/21 budget, would be around 25 percent, yet only 15 percent of the budget was spent.
Scottish Conservative MSP for Lothians Jeremy Balfour said:
“We must do all we can to support our most vulnerable and those who need urgent crisis support, which the Scottish Welfare Fund can provide.
“That is why it so frustrating and disappointing that the SNP Government have clearly failed to promote this fund well enough during the recent months, when people were needing urgent support more than ever.
“These grants could have made a vital difference to the lives of thousands more people across Scotland who were in crisis during lockdown.
“As we continue to see measures taken to stop the spread of Coronavirus, we must see greater promotion and publicising of the support that is available and I will continue to urge the SNP Government to do that.”