Note of Meeting of Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum 30 May 2008 – Annex A
Brian DornanHead of Tackling Poverty Team Public Health & Wellbeing Directorate
Poverty in Scotland - developing the Scottish Government’s approach
Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team
What do poverty and inequality look like in Scotland?
Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team
Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team
•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
•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
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
Poverty rates in Europe
0
5
10
15
20
25
Czech
Rep
ublic
Netherl
ands
Icelan
d
Norway
Denmark
Sloven
ia
Slovak
ia
Sweden
German
y
France
Austria
Finlan
d
Bulgari
a
Luxe
mbourg
Malta
Belgium eu
25
Cyprus
Hunga
ry
Estonia
Irelan
d
SCOTLAND
Portug
al
Poland
Roman
ia
United
King
dom
Spain
Italy
Lithu
ania
Greece
Latvi
a
Perc
enta
ge o
f peo
ple
in p
over
ty
Arc of Prosperity countriesEU averageScotland
Source: Eurostat. 2006 data. Scotland added.
Percentage of total income received by each income decile, Scotland
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
1994/95 1995/96 1996/97 1997/98 1998/99 1999/00 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
decile
• 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
Inequality
Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team
Source: Scottish House Condition Survey 2005/06
0
400
800
1200
1600
2000
Income deciles 1 and 2 Income deciles 3 to 10
Hou
seho
lds
(thou
sand
s)
not fuel poor
not fuel poor
fuel poor
fuel poor
severely fuel poor
Source: Scottish House Condition Survey 2005/06
0
400
800
1200
1600
2000
Income deciles 1 and 2 Income deciles 3 to 10
Hou
seho
lds
(thos
ands
)
Social housing Fuel Poor
Social housing Not Fuel Poor
Private housing Fuel Poor
Private housing Not Fuel Poor
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
Monitoring Progress
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: PovertyDecrease 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
• 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
Key Areas for Action:
Social Inclusion: Tackling Poverty Team