Consultation responses

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