UBI pilots closer after Holyrood backs Greens call
MSPs have backed Scottish Greens calls for trails of a Universal Basic Income to be brought forward and for the Scottish Government to explore ways of effectively ending the benefit cap.
An amendment to the Scottish Government’s motion on poverty by Scottish Greens social security spokesperson Maggie Chapman was passed, calling for UBI pilots to start “at the earliest possible opportunity” and commits government to “exploring funding options to end the benefit cap.”
Commenting, Maggie Chapman MSP said: “The Scottish Greens have been clear that we support the devolution of social security and employment law. Indeed, I called for this during the Smith Commission in 2014.
“But there are also things the Scottish Government can do now to act on poverty, including doubling the Scottish Child payment, working to mitigate the harm caused by the benefit cap and by pushing the UK Government to bring forward the pilots of Universal Basic Income.
“It is unacceptable that Scotland was on track to miss child poverty targets even before the pandemic hit, so it incumbent on us to act urgently. Social security is not a system, or an idea, but a fundamental right, and we need to fix the system which has let down far too many.”