MSPs URGED NOT TO PENALISE VULNERABLE GROUPS FOR POLITICAL GAIN

The Church of Scotland and the Scottish Catholic Church have urged MSPs to resist pitting vulnerable groups in our society against one another and recommit to providing free bus travel for asylum seekers.

Ahead of a debate on the budget in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday, both are concerned that there are attempts once again to renege on commitments made to people seeking asylum, and that these are coming in the name of older people due to Winter Fuel Payment means testing.
 
Scotland has a population of 5.5 million and a budget of almost £64 billion for 2025-26 and parliamentarians must work together for the greater good to ensure marginalised groups are not unfairly disadvantaged.  

The Church of Scotland and Justice & Peace Scotland (Scottish Catholic Justice and Peace Commission) are well aware of the increasing financial pressures facing older people as both churches support thousands of older people in their communities, both pastorally and materially.

At the same time, congregations are welcoming New Scots, supporting with basic needs, English language classes, and providing spaces to belong. 

Our refugee members have informed us just how valuable a policy of free bus travel would be. 

Emma Jackson, Convener of the Public Life and Social Justice Group of the Church of Scotland said: “I would really urge all our politicians to use language which upholds human rights and human dignity for everyone in our society.

“The racist violence and riots we saw over the summer pitted communities against one another.

“While our political leaders may robustly disagree about particular policies, we look to them to use language that is anchored in dignity, respect and compassion for everyone.”

The Church of Scotland and Catholic Church are committed to standing in solidarity with every member of our communities, of all ages and backgrounds. 

We call on MSPs to resist attempts to divide our society, and instead show support to people who have come to Scotland seeking sanctuary and new beginnings.

Jill Kent, Chairperson of Justice & Peace Scotland said: “As we strive to realise social justice for all in our society, Justice & Peace Scotland remind everyone of Christ’s teaching to welcome the stranger and to love our neighbour as ourselves. 

“This is particularly relevant as we approach the season of Christmas: The Holy Family were themselves once refugees and the encouragement and solidarity we can show in our political debates to those who find themselves on the margins is as important as ever.

“In this season of goodwill to all people I hope that all these discussions will be characterised in a spirit of kindness and generosity.”

Asylum seekers are not permitted to work while their claims are being assessed and are often living on as little as £8.86 per week, meaning public transport is completely unaffordable. 

A day ticket in Glasgow costs £5.60, more than half of people seeking asylum’s weekly allowance. 

Access to free bus travel would be positively life-changing and mentally transformative for those otherwise stuck in an inadequate and slow asylum system. 

It would allow people to access worshiping spaces, make important appointments, attend languages classes and stay connected with friends. 

In October 2023 the Scottish Parliament debated this policy and supportive statements were made by all parties in the parliament. 

This led to the announcement at the December 2023 budget that the Scottish Parliament would be dedicating £2 million towards a pilot.

A small sum in the larger budget, but hugely encouraging for the people who would benefit from it. 

In August 2024 the Scottish Government announced that they would be scrapping the pilot scheme. 

This came as a huge shock as the pilot was included in the government’s own refugee strategy, and was especially upsetting coming just weeks after the appalling far-right riots we saw break out across England and Northern Ireland. 

In October 2024 the Scottish Parliament debated the issue once again and overwhelmingly supported the policy.

BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF SCOTLAND STATEMENT ON SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT ENDING THE TWO-CHILD BENEFIT CAP, 10th DECEMBER, 2024

The Catholic Bishops of Scotland have welcomed the Scottish Government’s vow to lift the two-child benefit cap, which could potentially result in benefits being paid out to families of 15,000 children. The bishops look forward to seeing more detail on how the Scottish Government intends to lift the cap and hope that it will be lifted as quickly as possible to allow more children and families to receive support they so badly need.

CATHOLIC BISHOPS SEEK CLARITY FROM SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT AS THEY BACK PLANS TO END TWO-CHILD BENEFIT CAP

The Catholic Bishops of Scotland have encouraged the Scottish Government to provide “more detail” over the promise announced in last week’s budget to end the two-child benefit cap in Scotland.

In a statement, the Catholic bishops “welcomed” the plans to mitigate the two-child benefit cap, which are expected to impact on the benefits available for more than 15,000 children currently in poverty in the nation, and stated their hope “that it will be lifted as quickly as possible to allow more children and families to receive support they so badly need”. 

The two-child benefit cap is a UK wide policy introduced by the Conservative government in  2017, and has been retained by the current Labour government since they came to power in the summer. In all but exceptional cases, the cap equates to a limit that denies families universal credit support for third and subsequent children, worth up to £3455 a year for each child. It is recognised as the biggest driver of child poverty across the UK, with 1.6m children already affected by the limit, and this figure tracked to rise in the next three years.

Finance Secretary Shona Robison said last week it was the Scottish Government’s intention for payments to start to be made to families of three or more children in receipt of universal credit by April 2026 – a month before the next Holyrood election.  Scotland’s bishops have long been opposed to the cap which unfairly targets families across the country who are most in need. In their statement, the bishops emphasise the need for action to remove the cap in Scotland at the earliest opportunity.

Newsletter December 2024 - February 2025

We are pleased to share our latest newsletter with updates on recent activities we have organised such as the COP29 Mass and the Season of Creation Conference. You can access it by clicking here. You'll also find information about upcoming events of interest and campaign actions you can support. We would like to draw particular attention to the action on Page 2 asking supporters to contact their MPs regarding the Assisted Suicide Bill which is will be put to MPs to vote on this coming Friday.
 
Please share our newsletter with friends, parishes, and your own Justice and Peace Groups.
 
We hope you enjoy reading our latest update! 

BISHOPS RELEASE STATEMENT ON FOSSIL FUEL NON-PROLIFERATION AND JUST TRANSITION

The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland (BCOS) have released a statement encouraging world leaders to agree to and establish a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, committing all nations to a rapid and just transition away from fossil fuels. The statement, which is released to mark the COP29 climate summit taking place in Azerbaijain from 11th – 22nd November, calls on Scotland to play its role in realising the common good by participating in a swift transition away from fossil fuels to protect people and our planet, both now and in the future, from further global warming caused by fossil fuel extraction. Crucially, in recognising the workers and communities in Scotland who rely on fossil fuel industries for their livelihood, the statement emphasises that any such transition must have justice at its core and ensure that no one is left behind, particularly those currently employed in this sector who must be ensured secure work in the move towards renewables. The full text of the statement can be downloaded here.
 
Justice & Peace Scotland encourage supporters to share the statement widely, particularly with MPs and MSPs encouraging the UK and Scottish governments to commit to fossil fuel non-proliferation and to ensure that no worker is left behind in their plans to meet climate targets. To find out more about the global movement for fossil-fuel non-proliferation and how you can support it, visit: www.fossilfueltreaty.org.