Dear Ed,
RE: Misleading figures on Cost of Living Measures
I am concerned that a figure that is being repeatedly used by the Scottish Government, which claims that it has allocated £3billion for Cost of Living Measures, is misleading.
The Scottish Government has used this figure on a number of occasions including in a
statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Local Government and Housing on 12th July 2022, a statement by the First Minister of Scotland on 8th August 2022, in the First Minister’s Speech on the 2022-23 Programme for Government in September 2022, and during a Speech by the First Minister at the Poverty Alliance 30th Anniversary Conference on 25th November 2022.
The Scottish Parliament’s Independent Information Centre has set out in this blog the policies which it believes the Scottish Government has used, including a range of measures and their associated attached funding which pre-date not only the current Cost of Living Crisis, but also the SNPs term of government.
The correct use of statistics and data is vital to ensure public confidence.
It is imperative that the public have faith in the accuracy and truthfulness of statistics that are cited by Government ministers. As such, I would be grateful if you could investigate and provide guidance on the matter.
Yours sincerely
Pam Duncan -Glancy MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Region (Scottish Labour Party)
Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Social Security