CRITICS have renewed calls for welfare cuts to be reversed as they highlighted figures showing the number of emergency food parcels handed out to needy Scots has boomed by almost 80 per cent in four years.

The Trussell Trust, which operates 135 food banks across Scotland, handed out 210,605 aid packages in 2018/19. 

This is an increase of 92,916 from the 117,689 food parcels it provided in 2014/15. 

Meanwhile, independent food banks distributed at least 159,849 food parcels between April 2018 and March 2019, according to the Independent Food Aid Network.  

SNP MSP Shona Robison blamed UK welfare polices for the rising number of Scots being forced to turn to charities to feed their families.

Ms Robison, who chairs the Social Justice and Fairness Commission set up by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, said: "There is no getting away from the fact the Tories' welfare changes and cuts are to blame for rising poverty and debt, homelessness and the need for food banks."

The Dundee City East MSP added: "The grim reality is that the poorest in our society are being forced to choose between feeding their families and heating their homes - something which DWP ministers have finally admitted to, but done nothing to fix.

"Under the Tories, poverty has risen dramatically, yet, day after day, Tory Government representatives obstinately refuse to acknowledge the turmoil their policies are causing and plough on with brutal cuts regardless.

"This new Tory Government must heed the warnings of frontline organisations all over the country, and act before more families and children and are pushed into poverty on their watch." 

Figures show 39,980 more food parcels were handed out by the Trussell Trust in Scotland in 2018/19 compared to the previous year, an increase of 23%. 

The charity operates around 57% of Scottish food banks. 

Across the UK, it said food bank use has increased by 73% in the last five years.

Between April 2018 and April 2019, the Trussell Trust’s network distributed 1.6 million three-day emergency food supplies to people in crisis, a 19% increase on the previous year. More than half a million of these went to children, the charity said.

It said the top three reasons for referral to a food bank in 2017/18 were ‘income not covering essential costs’, ‘benefit delays’ and ‘benefit changes’.

Just over 33% of referrals were because a person's income did not cover their essential costs, while 20% were due to benefit delays and 17% benefit changes.

Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, previously said more and more people are struggling to eat because they simply cannot afford food.

She called for an end to the five-week wait faced by new claimants under Universal Credit.

She said: "We know this situation can be fixed – that’s why we’re campaigning to create a future where no one needs a food bank.

"Our benefits system is supposed to protect us all from being swept into poverty.

"Universal Credit should be part of the solution but currently the five week wait is leaving many without enough money to cover the basics.

"As a priority, we’re urging the government to end the wait for Universal Credit to ease the pressure on thousands of households."

The Trussell Trust has urged the Government to "ensure benefit payments reflect the true cost of living and work is secure, paying the real living wage".

 It comes amid an ongoing campaign by The Glasgow Times, The Herald's sister paper, to ensure the city's food banks are well-stocked through the festive season.

More than 3600 people, including 1480 children, were forced to seek emergency aid in Glasgow last December – the highest number in Scotland.

The SNP has repeatedly criticised UK welfare reforms, branding the roll-out of Universal Credit, which replaces several existing benefits, an "unmitigated disaster". 

Earlier this month, Citizens Advice Scotland said the number of times it had given advice on Universal Credit cases more than doubled in 2018/19.

It said that, behind benefits, debt was the second biggest issue it had to deal with, suggesting many of its clients "are finding the cost of living unsustainable".

Last year, charities warned starving families were raiding skips under the cover of darkness because they were too ashamed to seek help from food banks.

They said the situation across Scotland was becoming “unsustainable” amid ongoing benefit changes.

Mark Frankland, manager of First Base Agency Dumfries – a charity which gives out thousands of food parcels a year – said desperate families were taking months to seek help due to the stigma associated with food banks. He said one family had resorted to visiting their local service station at 3am and “pulling food out of skips”, rather than dealing with the shame of relying on charity.

Aziz Zeria, the treasurer of Crookston Community Group in Glasgow, told MSPs his organisation helped a divorced father-of-two who “hadn’t eaten for days, surviving on water for four days".

A DWP spokeswoman defended its record, and insisted urgent payments are available if claimants need them.

She said: “The reasons for people using food banks are complex.

“We spend over £95 billion a year on working age benefits and Universal Credit supports more than 2.7 million people across the UK. 

"It gives people financial help if they’re unemployed, low-paid or unable to work.

"People can get paid urgently if they need it and 95% of payments are made in full and on time. 

"We’ve changed the system so people can receive even more money in the first two weeks than under the old system. 

"Additionally, in Scotland, people can choose to be paid twice monthly and have the housing element of their Universal Credit paid directly to their landlords.”