Consultation responses

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Section A: Draft Guidance as a whole Question 1: Are you able to find your way around the draft Guidance?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