Nicola Sturgeon will set out her plans for the next year in the Scottish Parliament today.

The First Minister will outline the Programme for Government with cost of living measures likely to be centre stage.

There is expected to be an emergency budget once Liz Truss, the new UK Prime Minister, reveals her package to help with the cost of living and the Scottish Government knows how much cash it will receive as a result.

In the Programme for Government, Sturgeon will confirm the increase in the Scottish Child Payment from £20-a-week to £25.

Charities, Labour politicians and anti-poverty campaigners have called for it to be doubled to £40-a-week.

The increase will take place in November and the payments will be open to all eligible children under 16.

Sturgeon said: “The Scottish Child Payment is unique to Scotland, the most ambitious child poverty reduction measure in the UK and an important action to mitigate the growing cost emergency. 

“We doubled the payment to £20 per week per child in April and the further increase to £25 from November means a rise of 150% in less than eight months.

“Around 104,000 children currently in receipt of Scottish Child Payment will have it automatically increased to £25 per week. All new eligible under 16s will also benefit from the £25 rate, with all payments backdated to the date their application is received.”

The First Minister said the UK Government and new Prime Minister must come up with a plan to deal with the energy crisis.

She said: “Through this year’s Programme for Government we will take every action, within the financial means and legislative powers at our disposal, to help people through this humanitarian crisis that will cost lives.

“The most significant powers to tackle this crisis rest squarely with the UK Government and their inaction has compounded the difficulties everyone is facing.

“In the absence of a plan from the incoming Prime Minister we have a clear set of actions which the UK Government could take now, and should have taken already, to begin to address the crisis.

"These include an immediate cancellation of the October price cap rise and an uprating of benefits.”

You can apply for the Scottish Child Payment if you live in Scotland, you or your partner are getting certain benefits or payments and you or your partner are the main person looking after a child who's under 6 years old.  Up to under 16 from November 14.

The eligible benefits are one or more of the following:

Universal Credit

Child Tax Credit

Income Support

Pension Credit

Working Tax Credit

income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)

income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)