Scottish Poverty Adviser

The First Minister has appointed a dedicated poverty adviser to help tackle the growing problem.

It's estimated more than 200, 000 children are currently living in poverty, that's one in five in Fife.

Naomi Eisenstadt, a senior research fellow at Oxford University, is set to hold the Scottish Government's performance to account, while helping to lead the debate on the issue and raise awareness.

The announcement was made during a visit to Cyrenians Good Food depot in Leith, prior to a special meeting of the Scottish Government’s Cabinet, held at The Bethany Trust in Edinburgh and attended by Ms Eisenstadt.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Scotland is a wealthy country – but around one in six people are currently living in poverty. That is completely unacceptable.

“We are seeing some progress in reducing inequality but not nearly enough. And with £12 billion of annual welfare cuts due to be announced in the UK Government’s Emergency Budget, making an impact is likely to be even more challenging.

“My main priority IS making sure that everyone has the chance to get on in life, regardless of where they are from. The scrutiny and input of an independent expert will help to make sure – and provide assurance to the public - that we are doing absolutely all we can to make Scotland a more equal society.”

Naomi Eisenstadt said: “This is a critical role and a tremendous opportunity to help make good things happen.

“While I am tremendously supportive of what the Scottish Government is trying to do, my role will be to scrutinise the detail and provide hard challenge when necessary. I am here to give my honest views about the whether the policies in place will help to reduce poverty and inequality in Scotland.

“I plan to hold Ministers to account and challenge everyone to come up with and new and innovative ways to tackle deep seated poverty.”