Plans to limit the Scottish Child Payment to the first two children in a family have been unveiled in a new social security policy paper published by the Scottish Conservatives today.
Leader Russell Findlay made the announcement in Edinburgh alongside his MSP colleagues Alexander Stewart and Craig Hoy as part of the party’s commitment to deliver a fairer benefits system for Scotland.
Findlay cited evidence from a recent Scottish Government review of the payment which highlighted how the SNP’s flagship benefit is acting as a disincentive to work for many recipients, while others, who are employed, are turning down pay rises to avoid losing out on the benefit.
The payment is set to cost Scottish taxpayers more than £500million by the end of the decade, which, like the SNP’s overall benefits bill, isn’t sustainable or good value for taxpayers.
Around £1 of every £7 spent by the SNP government goes on benefit payments.
The new paper also pledges to deliver £1billion a year in savings for taxpayers by firming up assessments for those receiving the Adult Disability Payment for mental health reasons, as well as ending the SNP’s ‘tick-box culture’ when it comes to claimants looking to continue receiving benefits.
The party say that it is time for a new approach that makes work pay and gives people a hand up, rather than just a handout.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay MSP said: “Our country is blessed to have a social security system that helps people in genuine need, but the benefits bill has spiralled out of control under the SNP.
“We are the only party being straight with the paying public by saying that Scotland’s bloated benefits bill is unaffordable, unfair and unsustainable.
“The SNP have already been caught making false claims about the effectiveness of their flagship Scottish Child Payment.
“But there’s worrying new evidence, published by the government, showing that many recipients work less or even quit work altogether because they’re financially better off by claiming this SNP benefit.
“Benefits should be a safety net, not a lifestyle choice. Hard-working Scots who struggle to pay the bills know that no-one should be better off through a life on benefits.
“With costs of the Scottish Child Payment set to hit over half a billion pounds in coming years, we believe the time has come to limit the benefit to a couple’s first two children. This is a fair, reasonable and necessary measure.
“Given the child payment is a standalone SNP policy, the soaring costs in relation to it will have to be met either by more tax increases or cuts to public services.
“This commitment forms part of our bold new social security paper, which, in sharp contrast to every other party at Holyrood, outlines detailed plans to rein in the SNP’s welfare spending and deliver value for taxpayers.”
Scottish Conservative shadow social security secretary Alexander Stewart MSP added: “It should never be the case that any benefit is a barrier to work but that is precisely what is happening on the SNP’s watch.
“The SNP have allowed Scotland’s benefits bill to spiral out of control, which is trapping many people in a life on benefits or leaving them in a position where it would be a disadvantage for them to accept a pay rise.
“While we are firmly committed to providing crucial safety nets, our plans show that we can take a different path on welfare. It is time to give people a hand up, rather than handouts.”
Notes to editors:
The full policy paper can be read here: https://www.scottishconservatives.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/A-Fairer-Benefits-System-online.pdf. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Bringing Power Closer to People
The Scottish Conservatives would save taxpayers over £1 billion by introducing new assessments for those claiming benefits for mental health reasons. Scotland’s most expensive benefit, the Adult Disability Payment, costs taxpayers nearly £1.3 billion to payout for mental health claims. We would introduce a fairer assessment system for those claiming this benefit for a mental health condition that would require a medical diagnosis and evidence that they face unavoidable and necessary extra costs due to their condition. As part of this process, we would ensure that applicants could be referred to mental health or employability services rather than only being put on benefits.
The paper pledges to invest a portion of the savings made into employability schemes. We would invest some of the savings made by our benefit reforms into a new Help to Work scheme which would support those not currently working into a job. This would be available to those who were or are in receipt of Adult Disability Payment in Scotland and those who have applied for the benefit.
We would end the SNP’s 'tick a box' review system so that people only stay on benefits for as long as they need them. The SNP introduced a new system of ‘light-touch’ reviews that has meant people staying on benefits longer than necessary. We would introduce a new system of reviews where applicants can no longer just tick a box to stay on benefits and instead must prove they match the criteria for the benefit as they originally applied for it. This would include the introduction of face-to-face reviews for certain benefit recipients.
The Scottish Conservatives would improve incentives to work by introducing a two-child limit on the Scottish Child Payment. There is no limit to the amount of money that can be paid out through the Scottish Child Payment. The Scottish Conservatives would introduce a two-child limit so that the payment would only be paid out for the first two children a couple have – in order to save taxpayers money and improve incentives to work.
We would use technology to end the expensive translation services used by Social Security Scotland. Social Security Scotland spend millions of pounds on translation services for people trying to claim benefits in Scotland. We do not believe this represents value for money. Publicly available technology can be used to provide translation for anyone who is claiming benefits and only speaks a foreign language.