Trim OAP benefits, says Nicola aide

THE First Minister’s independent poverty adviser has called for an end to some universal benefits for the elderly, while criticising the Scottish Government’s flagship childcare plans.

Naomi Eisenstadt yesterday called on politicians to address ‘toxic’ issues such as increasing tax and removing universal benefits in a bid to tackle inequality in Scotland.

She urged political parties to accept that reducing poverty would involve bringing ‘some of the top down’.

Speaking at a round-table event on tackling poverty organised by Scottish Labour, Miss Eisenstadt, who is an expert on the impact poverty has on children, criticised the Scottish Government’s childcare policy and called on them to extend funding towards out-of-school care as well as under-fives.

The Scottish Government has pledged to double the amount of state-funded earlyyears education and childcare for all three and four-year-olds and for the most disadvantaged two-year-olds.

Miss Eisenstadt said: ‘I think it’s a shame that we’re expanding free childcare for under-fives and not doing anything about out-of-school childcare because I think the big problem is out-of-school childcare and, particularly for lone parents, the spike in employment comes when children enter school.’

The former UK civil servant said: ‘On poverty, there is too much income transfer. We have too many universal benefits for pensioners whereas pensioners are the least likely to be poor and have the most disposable income between 60 and 75.’

Scottish Labour spokesman for social justice Pauline McNeill said: ‘Kezia Dugdale has unveiled proposals for an Anti-Poverty Bill that would help to alleviate the shameful levels of poverty that continue to blight our communities. That includes abolishing the council tax and replacing it with a fairer system.’