Westminster’s failed policies

Unfortunately for Neil Anderson (letters, March 20), on March 17 The Financial Times Big Read on the extent of UK poverty levels pointed to the Scottish Government’s unique Child Payment Scheme as a way to solve the rest of the United Kingdom’s much worse problem where over three million children live in “absolute” poverty”, according to official data.

Also, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report in late January highlighted that “‘Child poverty rates in Scotland (24 per cent) remain much lower than those in England (31 per cent) and Wales (28 per cent)”.

At the same time as the Scottish Child Payment was doubled, the Tory government cut Universal Credit by the same amount while, in keeping with their new found Thatcherite policies, Labour say that they will maintain the two-child benefit cap.

Before the SNP came to power the ten poorest areas in the UK were all in Scotland. Now, the 20 poorest areas in the UK are in England.

Also, under the SNP, Scotland has continued the trend of outperforming the rest of the United Kingdom in delivering affordable housing by building 13.9 homes per 10,000 population last year, compared with only 8.0 in Wales and 9.7 in England.

Despite Scotland having vast surplus energy resources, our consumers continue to pay the highest energy standing charges in the UK while our renewable

Barely a week goes by now without the Edinburgh Evening News reporting incidents on planes

industries pay the highest grid connection charges in Europe, all thanks to Westminster’s failed energy policies.