The Cabinet Secretary for social justice does not expect inequality to have narrowed when comprehensive poverty statistics are released next year.
Alex Neil told MSPs on the welfare reform committee at Holyrood that UK Government benefit changes would make it unlikely the gap would narrow.
Mr Neil said the Scottish Government was introducing measures like extending free childcare and free school meals to help but the impact of the welfare reforms particularly on young people was having an impact on poverty.
He was asked by Labour MSP Neil Findlay if he was confident inequality would fall when figures are published.
Mr Neil said “I’m not confident. When you look at tax and benefit changes by the UK Government, it may mean inequality is more of a problem.
“With the effect on young people, I don’t see how you can say it will decline.”
Mr Findlay then challenged the Cabinet Secretary to name policies that were redistributing income for richest to poorest in Scotland.
Mr Neil said: “Under this government the social wage has increased enormously.”
He said free childcare was important and free school meals for primaries 1, 2 and 3 pupils was helping.
Mr Findlay argued free school meals was not redistributive as every pupil gets it before the Committee Convenor Hugh Henry told him the exchange developing between the two were not related to the specific topic on the agenda and halted the questions.
The next report on Multiple Deprivation Index, which analyses small data sets of a handful of streets would have been due this year but will not be available until Amy 2016 at the earliest Mr Neil said.
He said it was a decision taken by the Chief Statistician with no consultation with ministers and was in no way a political decision.
The last report in 2012 showed Glasgow had half of the areas in the 10% most deprived datazones.
The most deprived was Ferguslie Park in Paisley with Possilpark in Glasgow second, neighbouring Keppochill third and Parkhead and Barrowfield also in the five most deprived.
The stats showed in the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland there were 232,050 people who were classed as deprived, amounting to 31%.
Across the country the figure was 700,000 were deprived or 13.4%.
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