THE birth rate in Scotland has been declining for decades and SNP MP Kenny MacAskill has suggested that the impact of Brexit would bring it down even further.
The East Lothian MP has called on Scotland to be given powers that would encourage people to have more children, in the same way other devolved governments have done.
However, it seems that the Treasury is not willing to entertain the idea.
MacAskill said: “We all know that Brexit is going to hit hard across the whole swathe of Scottish employment and we have been dependent on those making their home in the country.
“Obviously the Westminster government has shown no inclination to act, but the Scottish Government lacks the powers used by devolved governments such as Quebec.
“So this is a matter for reconsideration by Westminster, or more likely for the devolution of powers to provide financial resources.
“I put parliamentary questions to the Treasury and it’s quite clear there are no steps they are currently taking beyond the payment of child benefit, which has been proven to be wholly inadequate.
“It is Scotland that is facing the crisis. It is therefore Scotland that should have the resources to be able to address it.”
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Incentives to boost birth rates are not new and have been successful in the past.
In 1988 the Quebec region of Canada introduced programs to boost births including $500 for a first child, $1000 for a second and $8000 for each subsequent child. Parents of three or more children also received more paid leave and interest-free loans to buy a home.
In one of Finland's smallest municipalities - Lestijarvi - where only one child was being born per year before 2013, a scheme was introduced where each baby born was worth €10,000 over 10 years.
From 2013 to 2019 almost 60 children were born in the area and the scheme was introduced in other areas of Finland.
MacAskill is calling for the UK Government to consider similar measures, or devolve the powers to Scotland and suggested a survey of young people to find out what would persuade them to have more children.
He added: “I’d have thought the starting point would be to discuss with young people why they are not having children. It may be a personal choice and that’s OK, but if it’s financial we need to ask what would work for them.
“I am sure there must be young people who want to have a family or increase their family, but have been restrained by financial restrictions.
“Is it a lump sum, is it a single payment? I don’t know, we need to find out from them.”
In an effort to relieve the initial financial burden of having children, the Scottish Government introduced the Baby Box in 2017, designed to give every newborn baby in Scotland an equal start in life.
The Baby Box includes baby clothes, toys, a thermometer, nursing pad and the box itself can be made into a place for the baby to sleep.
READ MORE: Westminster shrugs off calls for devolved Brexit talks with Holyrood
However, MacAskill believes that more still needs to be done to increase Scotland's birth rate when inward migration is about to take a hit from Brexit.
He said: “Scotland is an ageing society and that is only going to accelerate.
“Therefore we need to encourage immigration and our birth rate or we face significant challenges in the years to come, such as care for the elderly and tax base to pay for them.”
Projections from the National Records for Scotland, released last year, predicted that by 2043 Scotland will have 240,000 more pensioners, an increase of 23%. The working-age population is expected to fall in the same timeframe.
Scotland's Culture Secretary, Fiona Hyslop, said at the time that inward migration was needed "to support our public services and economy" particularly in areas such as agriculture, construction and tourism.
Responding to MacAskill, Chief Treasury Secretary Stephen Barclay said: “HM Treasury does not have a policy that pertains to increasing the birth rate in any part of the UK.
"There is a range of support available for those who have children including Child Benefit, which can be claimed for any number of children.”
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