THE Scottish government has defended its social security system after a think tank accused it of spending “with abandon.”

The Centre of Social Justice (CSJ) – co-founded in 2004 by welfare axeman Ian Duncan Smith – has argued for cuts on the grounds social security spending not only “disincentivises work,” but has “ballooned out of control.”

Its Benefitting Scotland? report points to rates of persistent child poverty of 23 per cent, well in excess of the Scottish government’s own 8 per cent target, despite an added £1 billion in additional payments, as evidence of failure.

It has called for £800 million of cuts – including further eligibility restrictions to disability benefits to those with the “least severe mental health conditions” – to reinvest in “treating the root causes of mental illness.”

CSJ’s Ben Gregg said: “The Scottish government has missed its own child poverty targets, while pushing economic inactivity in Scotland from below to above England.

“The system is over budget, overly complex and failing on its own terms. 

“With Holyrood elections this year, there is a real opportunity to create a much leaner, far more effective system, focused on changing lives and tackling the root causes of poverty.”

Pointing to figures showing Scotland as the only part of Britain with a falling relative child poverty rate and a recent Institute for Public Policy Research in Scotland paper, which argued it is a “myth” that higher social spending is incompatible with economic success, a Scottish government spokesperson hit back:

“Social security is a vital safety net that anyone may rely upon throughout their lives.

“The Scottish government has balanced its budget every year and continues to put ending child poverty at the heart of its spending plans.”