Consultation responses

In April, HMRC published a consultation on charity tax compliance to: “examine … charity taxation rules to help tackle non-compliance and protect the integrity of the charity sector without changing the overall purpose of the reliefs … [and] … ensure the rules continue to be fit... Read more

About our submission SCVO is pleased to provide evidence for the Scottish Government's ‘National Outcomes review in 2023.’ Our submission builds upon our previous response to the Finance and Public Administration Committee in April 2022. We highlight the important contribution of... Read more

About our response The past few years have been a whirlwind of escalating crises. The climate crisis, COVID pandemic, and the cost-of-living crisis have heightened existing inequalities, and the unequal impact of these crises mean the most marginalised and vulnerable communities... Read more

Summary Labour has recognised the need to support civil society to make an impact. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) welcomes this recognition. To support civil society, our workforce, and the people and communities we work with, Fair Work for Scotland’s... Read more

About our response SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Social Justice and Social Security Committee’s consultation on the Scottish Government’s Charities (Regulation and Administration) (Scotland) Bill. Our submission focuses on the Bill itself – its contents and... Read more

About our response SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee’s pre-budget scrutiny call for views. Our submission focuses on the budget process, the Equality and Fairer Scotland Statement, and building on the committee’s... Read more

Download the PDF version of SCVO's submission Download About our submission SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Finance and Public Administration Committee’s inquiry into the National Performance Framework (NPF). Here, we provide supplementary evidence alongside that... Read more

About our submission SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to the consultation on the Scottish Government’s Resource Spending Review. Our submission is split into two parts: a summary of our response and our full response. Our submission draws on evidence from: Recent... Read more

About us The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership organisation for the voluntary sector. We champion the sector, provide services, and debate big issues. Along with our community of 2,900+ members, we believe that charities, social... Read more

SCVO briefing to the Scottish Parliament: UK Shared Prosperity Fund Read more

About our submission SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Scottish Government’s Becoming a Fair Work Nation Consultation. Our submission draws on evidence from: Fair work webinars we hosted throughout 2021Feedback from members of SCVO’s HR and Employment Support... Read more

About us The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national body representing the third sector.We’re passionate about what the voluntary sector can achieve. Along with our community of 2,000+ members, we believe that charities, social enterprises and... Read more

WCVA NICVA NCVO SCVO Consultation-Response-Civil-Society-Engagement-on-the-TCA-1-1Download Please direct any queries to:Charles Whitmore – whitmorecd@cardiff.ac.uk and Lilla Farkas – lfarkas@wcva.cymruConsultation on Government engagement with business and civil society groups on... Read more

SCVO-response-to-EHRCJDownload About us The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership organisation for the voluntary sector. We champion the sector, provide services, and debate big issues. Along with our community of 2,600+ members, we... Read more

SCVO Response Economic Transformation Strategy - August2021Download About us The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership organisation for the voluntary sector (sometimes referred to as the third sector). We champion the sector, provide... Read more

SCVO submission to the Finance Committee on Scotland's public finances - August 2021Download About us The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership organisation for the voluntary sector. We champion the sector, provide services, and debate big... Read more

SCVO's response to the Commission's call for evidenceDownload About SCVO The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership organisation for the voluntary sector. We champion the sector, provide services, and debate big issues. Along with our... Read more

SCVO Response to Accounts Commission 2021Download Overview The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) welcomes the invitation to respond to the Accounts Commission’s consultation on priorities. The Scottish voluntary sector encompasses an estimated 40,00... Read more

February 2021 SCVO Lobbying Act Draft Report ResponseDownload SCVO’s response to the committee uses numerical references to specific recommendations which can be found in the Committee’s Draft Report here. About SCVO The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the... Read more

Scottish Affairs Committee UKSPF - PDF versionDownload Our position As part of the European Union, and as a participant in the last seven-year European Structural Fund cycle, Scotland was apportioned approximately €875 million in funds. Based on 2018 figures alone, the voluntary... Read more

SCVO response to the call for views on procurement (PDF version)Download SCVO response to the call for views on procurement SCVO has responded to the call from the Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee’s for views on the post-legislative scrutiny of the Procurement Reform... Read more

SCVO Response to the Scottish Government's Digital Strategy About SCVO The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership organisation for the voluntary sector. We champion the sector, provide services, and debate big issues. Along with our... Read more

SCVO and Chartered Institute of Fundraising Scotland - Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Bill Stage one evidence Download a PDF version of this paperDownload SCVO and the Chartered Institute of Fundraising Scotland have concerns around the... Read more

SCVO response to Scottish Parliament Finance and Constitution Committee 23 September 2020 Download a PDF version of this paperDownload About SCVO The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership organisation for the voluntary sector. We champion... Read more

Submission on Scottish National Investment Bank Missions Download a PDF version of this submissionDownload Do the proposed missions adequately reflect the ‘grand challenges’ facing Scotland? We believe that the three headline 'grand challenges' identified do reflect the very... Read more

SCVO Lobbying Act - Post-Legislative ScrutinyDownload About SCVO The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership organisation for the voluntary sector. We champion the sector, provide services, and debate big issues. Along with our community of... Read more

UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill 2016 05 August 2020 SCVO Withdrawal from EU Continuity Scotland BillDownload About SCVO The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership organisation for the voluntary... Read more

Our position SCVO were pleased to see the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery’s (AGER) report note the importance of the voluntary sector where it called upon the Scottish Government to take action to protect the capacity and financial sustainability of our sector. Notably we... Read more

Social Enterprise Scotland and the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations - joint submission to the Scottish Parliament’s Economy, Energy, and Fair Work Committee on the role of enterprise agencies, the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) and other economic development... Read more

Covid19: Economic impact on young people July 2020 SCVO response to Economy Committee - Impact of Covid19Download The Community Jobs Scotland (CJS) programme[1], funded by the Scottish Government and managed by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), has operated... Read more

July 2020 Lessons from coronavirus - House of Lords Select Committee on Public Service - July 2020 (PDF)Download About SCVO and our submission The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership organisation for the voluntary sector. We champion the... Read more

May 2020 View a PDF of SCVO's full consultation responseDownload About SCVO The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership organisation for the voluntary sector. We champion the sector, provide services, and debate big issues. Along with our... Read more

February 2020 The Future Delivery of Social Care in Scotland Our Position SCVO believes that the contribution of the voluntary sector to health and social care is significantly undervalued and that this is holding back progress on improving people’s outcomes and experiences. In... Read more

View a PDF version of SCVO’s full consultation response Our position SCVO and our members believe that the replacement fund’s priorities should be set at a devolved level, within the Scottish Government. The replacement should look to tackle inequalities, improve human rights and... Read more

SCVO response to Scottish Government 04 December 2019 FOI extension of coverage consultation Scottish Government SCVO ResponseDownload Our position SCVO champions the importance of transparency within Scotland’s voluntary sector and supports the overall aim of the FOISA... Read more

Our position SCVO supports Monica Lennon MSP’s Private Members Bill, which is seeking to create a universal system of free access to period products throughout Scotland. The Sanitary Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill aims to make it a legal requirement for educational... Read more

HEALTH AND SPORT COMMITTEE - SOCIAL PRESCRIBING OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SPORT 29 August 2019 SCVO submission - Social prescribing of physical activity and sportDownload Our position Helping people towards making connections with other people and activities is the essence of... Read more

SCVO response to Scottish Parliament’s Equality and Human Rights Committee Delivery of national equalities and human rights in partnership with the third sectorDownload Our position For many of Scotland's charities and community groups delivering essential services, the outlook... Read more

14 August 2019 Local Governmentt Funding - SCVO response to local government committee - August 2019Download Our position The voluntary sector makes a significant contribution to communities across Scotland, with potential to do even more. That is often founded on genuine... Read more

02 July 2019 Public-Health-Scotland-Scottish-Government-SCVO-Response-June-2019Download Our position Governance of the new Public Health Scotland body needs to model a transparent, accountable and participative approach Public Health Reform must take a whole systems approach... Read more

SCVO response to Scottish Government - 5 June 2019 Devolved-Tax-A-Policy-framework-Scottish-Government-Consultation-June-2019Download Our position Scottish Government should now aim to engage a wider group of people and organisations in devolved tax policy, using digital... Read more

SCVO response to Scottish Parliament 03 May 2019 Funding of EU Structural Fund Priorities in ScotlandDownload Our positions Scottish Parliament should be the ultimate accountable body for any post-Brexit Structural Funds in Scotland. Any budget that is allocated to a UK wide fund... Read more

SCVO response to Scottish Government 09 April 2019 Job Grant Consultation - Scottish GovernmentDownload Our position SCVO believes that the policy intent of the Job Grant is right. Many young people will sustain several periods of unemployment since they are also more likely to... Read more

SCVO response to Scottish Government 01 April 2019 Summary While SCVO welcomes the opportunity to review Scottish charity law, we think there are some significant missed opportunities in this consultation, which fails to serve as the meaningful discussion piece required 13 years... Read more

​SCVO response to Scottish Government 27 November 2018 Our position SCVO strongly welcomes the Draft Action Plan as it helps give Open Government a home within Scottish Government But SCVO is aware of several parts of Government that appear prepared to be much more ambitious than... Read more

Scottish National Investment Bank - SCVO response to Scottish Government 01 November 2018 Download a PDF version of this document Our position The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) welcome the proposals for a National Investment Bank. The Bank should be closely... Read more

Adult social care reform for Scotland – discussion paper SCVO response to COSLA and Scottish Government 17 October 2018 Download a PDF copy of this paper Our position SCVO welcomes the discussion on reforming adult social care. Third sector must be a key participant in this... Read more

Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee Inquiry on Scottish Government Draft Budget 2019-2020 Download the PDF version of this document Our position Payment by results, the over-representation of the private sector, and prescriptive customer journeys mean there is likely to be... Read more

SCVO response to UK Government 05 September 2018 This paper is now: Published Our Position SCVO supports the society lottery annual sales limit being increased to £100 million.We hold that the society lotteries and the National Lottery complement each other in raising funds to... Read more

SCVO response: Scottish Parliament Health & Sport Committee 13 August 2018 Download a PDF version of this response Our position SCVO regards the Bill’s provisions around social care services as unnecessary. Any future legislative proposals in this area that affect the third... Read more

Loneliness and Isolation Strategy - SCVO response to Scottish Government Download the PDF version of this document 02 May 2018 Our position SCVO welcomes this world-leading national strategy for tackling loneliness. Human rights and gender based approaches should frame this work... Read more

SCVO response to Scottish Parliament Finance Committee Download the PDF version of this response 13 April 2018 Our position SCVO is a named stakeholder in the current European Structural and Investment Funds, and also a member of a UK-wide group exploring successor arrangements... Read more

SCVO response to Scottish Parliament Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee Download the PDF version of this response 13 April 2018 Our position SCVO is a named stakeholder in the ESIF Operational Programmes. Based on this experience: We note a lack of transparency in the approval... Read more

SCVO response to Scottish Parliament Local Government and Communities Committee Download the PDF version of this response 13 April 2018 Our position We strongly welcome all the revised National Outcomes. And the Sustainable Development Goals being used to frame them. On the other... Read more

Summary The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) are requesting that Scottish and Welsh MP give their backing to the cross-party tabling of amendments from the Scottish and Welsh Governments’. SCVO and WCVA have... Read more

Social Security (Scotland) Bill SCVO response to Social Security Committee 29 August 2017 Our position The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) welcome the opportunity to respond to the Social Security Committee’s call for evidence. The Scottish Government’s... Read more

Direction of travel In July 2015 SCVO held a Fairer Scotland event, attended by many of our members and officials from Scottish Government. The key principles outlined at that event formed the backbone of the Fairer Scotland strategy and it is heartening to see the Scottish... Read more

Our response SCVO welcomes this inquiry and would like to contribute the following: Introduction To begin, it is important to note that if we here in Scotland eventually move towards fully empowered communities (where real decision-making power – rather than just a range of... Read more

Introduction SCVO has been keen to support an open conversation about tax, including the purpose, design, and language used to talk about tax. We therefore welcome the opportunity to respond to this review of business rates in Scotland. Within our response, business rates are... Read more

03 October 2016 Our response SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to this call for evidence. Rather than focus on aspects of implementation, we take a broad approach in our response. Firstly, many in our sector are supporters of the principle of subsidiarity – that is, that... Read more

SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to this inquiry and would like to contribute the following: Introduction It is heartening to see this inquiry into a Sottish approach on taxation, and we are pleased that the Finance Committee is looking to initiate a debate on this... Read more

We welcome the opportunity to respond to the consultation on the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in Scotland. We support the proactive approach taken by the Scottish Government in seeking to utilise the levy to foster skills investment and inclusive growth. However, the... Read more

Introduction We welcome the opportunity to respond to this review of enterprise and skills in Scotland. Scotland’s enterprise and skills agencies should fulfil a vital role in delivering Scotland’s economic priorities, fostering inclusive growth and investing in the skills of... Read more

08 August 2016 Summary We welcome the proposed Directions and this consultation on them. We suggest some changes below, particularly so the proposed Directions better ensure the expertise of both the sector and the people who work at the Fund itself are best utilised, and to... Read more

This is SCVO's response to the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee's call for views on the Lobbying (Scotland) Bill. The Bill aims to increase transparency of lobbying by introducing a statutory register of paid lobbyists that meet with MSPs and Ministers... Read more

Introduction SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to this important inquiry by the European and External Relations Committee. Our comments will focus on the operation of the Human Rights Act (HRA) and the proposed British Bill of Rights. It will also examine the need for more... Read more

Introduction As Scotland prepares for the devolution of social security and employment powers, the third sector welcomes the chance to influence and shape this process, bringing to the fore the voice of the people it supports, whose lives will be affected by the changes to come... Read more

General Concerns On reading the consultation, our overwhelming impression is that the creation of regulations and guidance, along with the ongoing running of the Fund, is focussed on administrative convenience rather than the needs of applicants. The focus seems to be on... Read more

Introduction As there have been no substantive changes made to the clauses from draft to Bill, the concerns SCVO outlined in our previous response to the Committee remain. These fall broadly into three categories: the need for Gift Aid to be considered alongside the devolution of... Read more

Our response Question 1 – Do you agree that the Government’s three core principles are appropriate to inform the delivery of an effective and proportionate lobbying registration regime in Scotland? The core principles described are largely successful in defining what the... Read more

Section A: Draft Guidance as a whole Question 1: Are you able to find your way around the draft Guidance? The guidance is generally easy to navigate, both in the PDF and the online version. The introduction of a web specific version is welcome as it is more navigable on mobile... Read more

Introduction With the recent introduction of the Scottish Government’s new economic strategy and fair work agenda, now is an opportune time to ensure that procurement is used to tackle poverty and inequality. As we said in our paper An Economy for All, there are four principles... Read more

The Impact of Welfare Reform Welfare reform exacerbates ingrained inequalities across a range of groups – combined with austerity and public service cuts, women have been deeply affected. Yet, gender remains largely absent from policy responses to welfare reform. As outlined by... Read more

Tax Gift Aid is a relief on income tax that benefits charities and community amateur sports clubs (CASCs); last year Gift Aid provided over £1 billion to the sector in the UK. Although the issue of Gift Aid is not covered in the draft clauses, income tax is. Therefore Gift Aid is... Read more

Introduction The ownership and use of land are important to the third sector and the people we work with in a number of different ways. For example, land is fundamental to tackling the current problem with the availability of affordable housing for rural and urban communities... Read more

SCVO welcomes the Department of Work and Pension’s (DWP) consultation on Universal Credit data sharing. This is an important issue for Scotland's charities and voluntary organisations, many of whom support some of Scotland's most vulnerable claimants. Please note that with the... Read more

Key Principles and Themes The purpose of devolution is to bring power to where it is most appropriate and to help: reduce inequality and celebrate diversity promote social justice create a more inclusive society enable and empower people promote environmental and economic... Read more

Our response We welcome the opportunity to respond to this consultation. Our response is drawn from discussions with a number of third sector organisations, including a formal discussion on the topic with the National Intermediaries group. Annual reporting by charities to the... Read more

Summary The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation, and would like to offer the following for consideration. Although there now won’t be a constitution in the near future, there are some key points that we believe... Read more

Timetable Lord Smith's initial request was to provide views by today, 10 October, in order to meet the challenging timetable agreed by the Better Together parties. Whilst we have appreciated the extension to 31 October, which was granted three days later, this has given rise to... Read more

Comments on the Bill To give communities a greater say over local spending priorities, 10% of the total budget for the public sector in each local authority area could be allocated for participatory budgeting processes We support the introduction of a single, clear process for... Read more

Delaying the bill to review options and delivery We are concerned about the relative speed at which the Bill is being taken forward. Given some of the concerns highlighted by our members, by the Evaluation of the Interim Fund and the significant carry-over of funds from 2013/1... Read more

Context Coproduction is a much used/misused term. The Christie Commission made a very strong case for service user involvement and for trust to be a key part of public service delivery. The arguments made by Christie have strong application to the integration of health and social... Read more

The Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the above consultation. Our response covers a number of areas: Recognising the third sector as an EQUAL partner Ensuring those whose lives will be deeply affected by integration have a... Read more

Introduction The consultation, 'Your voice, our vision', is a timely and welcome development to seek a broader input into the future strategic framework of the Big Lottery Fund. Spending £4billion between 2015-2021, roughly equivalent to £400m in Scotland, is a considerable... Read more

Key Points Strategic vision The Scottish Government places great stock on strategic direction within the Budget and its legislative programme. It highlights three underpinning aims: accelerating economic recovery and creating more jobs creating a fairer Scotland and empowering... Read more

SCVO’s policy work is driven by three strategic aims – Society, Economy and Democracy. Our response is structured around these aims: Society – ensuring that policy making reflects our changing society and the importance of empowering and supporting people, their connections and... Read more

Our response SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to the consultation, and would like to contribute the following. Introduction SCVO begins its response to this consultation by expressing disappointment at the questions being raised in the consultation document. Given that... Read more

No Safety Net Along with many of our members, SCVO believes that this new policy, alongside other devastating welfare cuts, will continue to undermine the very fabric of our society. We believe the policy will create another huge whole in an already inadequate safety net. As in... Read more

SCVO was invited to comment on the Scottish Government's draft Operational Programmes for European funding. This applies to the new European Social Fund and European Rural Development Fund during the next European funding cycle covering 2014 to 2020. ESF = European Social Fund... Read more

Our response Question 1 How would you rate your satisfaction with the budget as a whole? "Disagree" SCVO believes that the balance of funding in the budget continues to be disproportionately skewed in favour of farming and land-based industries and fails to sufficiently recognise... Read more

Our response SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation. Question 1 Do you agree that the purpose of the new scheme is correct? SCVO has spoken to and assisted many organisations over the years with problems stemming from the water rates exemption scheme. The... Read more

Review of existing Fund We are concerned that there is a sense of speed surrounding the introduction of the Bill to place the Fund on a permanent legal footing. Whilst we recognise that this is important, particularly for those families who will use it, we feel that time needs to... Read more

Implications of the current proposals The current governance arrangements for the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) are of great concern. Representation on the Programme Monitoring Committee (PMC) and subsequent decision-making structures should not only reflect a... Read more

Question 1: Do you agree with the general principles of the Bill and its provisions? By its very nature, the third sector will focus on ensuring that services are person-centred, asset based and sustainable. This focus is not well reflected in the Bill e.g. in terms of guiding... Read more