Child Poverty Act 2010

11 Scottish strategies

(1) The Scottish Ministers must, before the end of the period of 12 months beginning with the day on which this Act is passed, publish and lay before the Scottish Parliament the first Scottish strategy.

(2) A “Scottish strategy” is a strategy under this section setting out the measures that the Scottish Ministers propose to take—

(a) for the purpose of contributing to the compliance by the Secretary of State with section 2 (duty to ensure that targets are met), and

(b) for the purpose of ensuring as far as possible that children in Scotland do not experience socio-economic disadvantage.

(3) Before the end of the period to which a Scottish strategy relates, the Scottish Ministers must review the strategy and publish and lay before the Scottish Parliament a revised Scottish strategy, but this subsection does not apply after the beginning of the target year.

(4) A Scottish strategy must—

(a) where it relates to a period ending before the end of the target year—

(i) describe the progress that the Scottish Ministers intend to make in Scotland by the end of the period to which the strategy relates in contributing to the meeting of the targets in sections 3 to 6 in relation to the target year,

(ii) describe the other progress that the Scottish Ministers intend to make by the end of the period to which the strategy relates in achieving the purpose mentioned in subsection (2)(b), and

(b) describe the progress that the Scottish Ministers intend to make by the end of the target year in achieving the purpose mentioned in subsection (2)(b), otherwise than by contributing to the meeting of the targets.

(5) A Scottish strategy other than the first must also—

(a) describe the measures taken by the Scottish Ministers in accordance with the previous Scottish strategy,

(b) describe the effect of those measures in contributing to the meeting of the targets in sections 3 to 6, and

(c) describe other effects of those measures that contribute to the achievement of the purpose mentioned in subsection (2)(b).

(6) A Scottish strategy may not include proposals that relate to reserved matters, within the meaning of the Scotland Act 1998.

(7) The Scottish Ministers must, on or before each report date relating to a Scottish strategy, lay before the Scottish Parliament a report which—

(a) describes the measures taken by the Scottish Ministers in accordance with the Scottish strategy,

(b) describes the effect of those measures in contributing to the meeting of the targets in sections 3 to 6, and

(c) describes other effects of those measures that contribute to the achievement of the purpose mentioned in subsection (2)(b).

(8) The report dates relating to a Scottish strategy are each anniversary of the day on which it was laid before the Scottish Parliament, other than an anniversary which falls—

(a) on or after the date on which a subsequent Scottish strategy is so laid, or

(b) after the end of the target year.

(9) References in this section to the period to which a Scottish strategy relates are references to the period beginning with the date on which the Scottish strategy is laid before the Scottish Parliament and—

(a) except in the case of a Scottish strategy laid before that Parliament less than 3 years before the beginning of the target year, ending 3 years later, and

(b) in that excepted case, ending with the target year.