IPPR Scotland reacts to UK budget

Philip Whyte, IPPR Scotland director said:

"Today’s UK Budget is expected to generate £320 million of consequentials for Scotland over the next two years – much of it coming from investment in childcare reforms in England. Attention now turns to the Scottish government to see how they deploy this.

"Childcare is an area where the Scottish government has delivered important reform already, but also made significant commitments to go further in this Parliament – to provide funding to help parents transition into work, extend free hours further for low-income households, and to introduce wraparound care for school aged children – though we’re yet to see significant delivery.

"Meeting Scotland’s ambitious child poverty targets means using every lever available to boost work opportunities and earnings for parents – flexible and affordable childcare is vital to that, as our previous research shows. The Scottish government has a chance to now go further – accelerating progress on the big commitments it has made and scaling up its offer for the poorest parents."