Guernsey Press

Nicola Sturgeon meets families benefiting from new baby payments

The First Minister said 4,000 claims being made on the first day of the new grant was ‘exceptional’.

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Nicola Sturgeon has met parents who are among the first to be given Scotland’s new baby grant.

The First Minister visited One Parent Family Scotland in Glasgow to meet families who are being help by the pregnancy and baby payment from the Best Start Grant, which replaces the UK Government’s Sure Start Maternity Grant.

More than 4,000 parents applied for the payment on the first day it was introduced, around the same number of the previous grants handed out across Scotland in 2017-18.

The new benefit gives eligible families £600 on the birth of their first child and £300 on the birth of any subsequent children.

The Sure Start Maternity Grant paid £500 for a first child only.

Ms Sturgeon said: “The Pregnancy and Baby Payment will help give children the best possible start in life, and demonstrates our commitment to making Scotland the best place for a child to grow up.

“At this time of year we know many families on low incomes feel particularly stretched so I’m pleased we are starting to get this extra money into people’s pockets this week.

“By expanding the eligibility and making it easier to apply we are delivering substantive improvements on the Department of Work and Pensions system.

“Importantly, we place no cap on the number of children it will support.

“The response we have had with claims is absolutely exceptional and reflects the difference we can make with our new social security powers including increasing the financial support parents are eligible for and removing the UK’s previous one child limit to support more children.

“It was lovely to meet parents and children who are benefiting from the grant and find out the difference it can make to families.”

Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payments
Ms Sturgeon with Megan McBride and son Killian, Caitlin Donachie and son Jace, and Connie Rumsby and son Clinton Taiwo (Andrew Milligan/PA)

She said: “Being entitled to this payment which I wouldn’t have got under the previous system will make a real difference, especially when I have other children to provide for.

“It makes life a lot less stressful because I’m not having to worry about money for the new baby’s things as I can use my Pregnancy and Baby Payment to cover that.”

Connie Rumsby, 25, from Glasgow, who has six-month-old Clinton as well as two other children, said: “The Best Start Grant will make life a lot easier. My other children are four and five so there are lots of things I will need to buy again.

“I got the baby box which is great, but having £300 extra to my buy my son something when he’s a wee bit bigger is a real help.”

One Parent Families Scotland chief Satwat Rehman added: “The fact that payments are in place before Christmas will be a life-line to some of our most hard-pressed families.”

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