JOHN Swinney has drawn praise after challenging a BBC host’s question which used language experts have described as "stigmatising".

The First Minister took issue with the phrasing used by BBC Scotland presenter Martin Geissler as he appeared on the Sunday Show.

Geissler suggested that the SNP should be prioritising “helping people out of poverty” through growing the economy and not setting up “government benefits, government-funded schemes”.

The BBC host went on: “Anas Sarwar was [on the Sunday Show] last week saying, ‘we're all about getting people into jobs, not giving them benefits’.

“Shouldn't you focus more be on improving people's life chances generally than giving them handouts?”

Responding, Swinney said: “I think the terminology, frankly, of handouts, I don't like, Martin. I don't like it.

“I don't think it's a good way to express these things.”

He went on: “I think if I look at the Scottish Child Payment, the Scottish Child Payment is stopping children starving, and we're paying for it in Scotland, and I'm proud that we're doing that.

“That's keeping children out of poverty, 100,000 children being kept out of poverty and they're being fed properly, and then when they go to school, they're getting better supported with some of the assistance in terms of free provision of school meals and things like that that help children.”

Geissler said: “That's one benefit. You’ve created seven in the last eight years, since you've had the power to create benefits.”

Swinney responded: “There's a range. If you look at our child poverty plan, what our child poverty plan is is a mixture of support to families to boost their income so the children are not starving. But they're also support to families so that parents can get back into work.

“So the early learning provision that we have in Scotland, which is double the provision that we had when we came to office, is far superior to anything on offer in any other part of the United Kingdom. That early learning childcare offer helps parents get back to work.”

Swinney said that support for families and children including on food and transport helped people “out of poverty because by that way they participate in the economy, they generate work, they pay taxes, and that contributes to the public finances”.

Energy Secretary Mairi McAllan praised Swinney’s “principled leadership” after he called out the “handouts” terminology.

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And Linda Bamford, the convener of the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland and former commissioner with the Poverty and Inequality Commission, added: “Glad @JohnSwinney very quickly picked up @mmgeissler really poor use of language.

“Martin aiming to stigmatise folks, punching down becoming all too common – John Swinney corrected this within seconds.

“Thank you – we need this stigmatising and divisive language called out and stopped!”

The charity Save The Children has said that “'handouts' is a loaded phrase. It's been used and abused by people for decades, as a way to undermine those in need”.