A consultation is now under way to gather views on how to establish a minimum income guarantee - which would provide an assurance that everyone would have enough money to ‘live a dignified, healthy and financially secure life’ – could be designed and delivered in Scotland. Early research indicates that the minimum income guarantee would benefit an estimated 2.5 million people in Scotland, contributing to the eradication of working-age and child poverty.

The plan is to introduce the scheme by 2030 and can be rolled out under Scotland’s devolved powers. Other countries have considered a basic universal minimum income with Finland running a trial to see whether this would encourage employment and provide a safety net for low earners. Scotland’s plans would not be a universal scheme but would support lower earners primarily.

S