Liberal Democrats Communities spokesperson Ross Finnie MSP has expressed concern at statistics showing Scotland has consistently ranked as one of the poorest areas in Britain over the past forty years.

Research commissioned by the BBC and carried out by Sheffield University shows that nearly a third of Scottish households are classified as being "breadline poor", people that are so poor they cannot participate in the norms of society.

Commenting, Mr Finnie said:

"These statistics are sad confirmation that real poverty continues to rise in spite of general increases in levels of prosperity for the population as a whole. There is no quick fix for these problems and more needs to be done.

"There is, however, evidence that concentrated strategies involving both governments and individuals can make a positive difference to people’s lives. Individuals living in absolute poverty has halved since 1997 and absolute pensioner poverty has reduced by almost three quarters in the same period.

"Improving social mobility lies at the heart of the Liberal Democrat commitment to fairness. It is only through a persistent and coherent strategy across all portfolios that real change can be brought about for the people of Scotland."