Committee
Social Justice Committee, 19 Sep 2001
19 Sep 2001 · S1 · Social Justice Committee
Item of business
Voluntary Sector Inquiry
Sheenagh Adams (Scottish Executive Development Department):
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One of the features of working with the sector in the past has been the issuing of consultation papers by the Executive and previously by the Scottish Office. Officials' and ministers' ideas about what they wanted to pursue were firmed up at an earlier stage; we are now trying to get the sector involved much earlier. An example of the sector assisting in the development of policy is the millennium volunteers scheme, which is a UK scheme to promote and support volunteering among young people. It is due to come to the end of its current format next March and we need to consider how to take it forward. Jackie Baillie has asked for a review group to be set up to consider the issues and assess how the millennium volunteer scheme fits into the broader picture of young people volunteering. There is no pre-set agenda for that and no draft consultation paper. We have brought the sector in at the level where we are starting our thinking on the scheme's future, instead of bringing it in later. The aim is to improve policy development and to make the policies that we adopt more responsive to the needs of the voluntary sector. There are similar examples elsewhere in the Executive, in health and education for example.
In the same item of business
The Convener:
Lab
I welcome the officials from the Scottish Executive—Mark Batho, head of the social justice group, Sheenagh Adams, head of the voluntary issues unit, and Gavi...
Mark Batho (Scottish Executive Development Department):
It may be useful if I begin by describing where the voluntary issues unit sits in the overall scheme of things at the Scottish Executive. It is one of three ...
The Convener:
Lab
Your written submission states:"The sector is also well placed to assist the Executive in developing policy given the wide variety of interests covered."Can ...
Sheenagh Adams (Scottish Executive Development Department):
One of the features of working with the sector in the past has been the issuing of consultation papers by the Executive and previously by the Scottish Office...
The Convener:
Lab
Do you agree that one of the strengths of the voluntary sector is that, through identifying need locally and developing practice—for example in child care or...
Sheenagh Adams:
We maintain the strength to which you refer mainly by working with the intermediary bodies in the sector. Those are bodies in which a range of voluntary nati...
The Convener:
Lab
Do you think that, even where a voluntary organisation relies largely on money from the Scottish Executive, the Executive would not be tempted to flex its mu...
Sheenagh Adams:
That has not been my experience and I am not aware of that being a criticism of the Executive.
Mark Batho:
You are right, convener, that there is a risk that the Executive will be perceived as saying to voluntary organisations, "We have decided to do something. He...
Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD):
LD
I will widen the context of the discussion. As I understand it, the compact is an agreement between the Executive and the voluntary sector, but most support ...
Sheenagh Adams:
We know that some local authorities have developed their own local compacts. The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities has been involved in developing a v...
Robert Brown:
LD
Do you have any perspective on the extent to which the principles that you are laying down at national level operate at local authority level throughout the ...
Sheenagh Adams:
Obviously, you would need to ask COSLA and the local authorities about that.
Robert Brown:
LD
Do you have a perspective on that?
Sheenagh Adams:
Our perspective on the approach that different local authorities take comes mainly through the national networks that we fund, especially the councils for vo...
Robert Brown:
LD
What sort of feedback have you had from the voluntary sector on how well the compact is working? How satisfied is the voluntary sector with the compact? Are ...
Sheenagh Adams:
The voluntary issues unit and the voluntary sector have carried out a joint review on the workings of the compact. The first report on that has been submitte...
Robert Brown:
LD
You have talked about a report on the working of the compact. Will a formal review of the compact take place so that additions can be made and weaknesses add...
Sheenagh Adams:
There have been internal discussions on the possibility of reviewing the compact. At the end of October, there will be an away day for ministers, senior peop...
Robert Brown:
LD
Have any aspects been flagged up as causes for concern on which that process should focus?
Sheenagh Adams:
We are aware of the issues. When the minister publishes the report, we will see the reactions to the issues that it identifies. Funding remains an issue. To ...
Robert Brown:
LD
I would appreciate your view on the roll-out of the compact across other Executive departments. I am conscious that there can be a different approach to thin...
Sheenagh Adams:
The good practice guide has been circulated to all the Executive's departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies, all of which are covered by the ...
Linda Fabiani:
SNP
Money is allocated to local authorities to promote certain voluntary initiatives, such as on particular health issues. I have heard from local groups that, a...
Mark Batho:
When money is handed over to local government as part of a settlement, it is for local authorities to decide how the money is used. Obviously, there are diff...
Linda Fabiani:
SNP
Are you saying that, if a local group complained that the local authority was not dispersing the money in the spirit in which it was granted, nothing can be ...
Mark Batho:
We are struggling a little because such matters are outside the funding handled by the voluntary issues unit. If one is talking about a specific education in...
Linda Fabiani:
SNP
That is fine. Such matters have been bothering me lately, and I am happy to hear your views.
Mark Batho:
Such matters go right to the heart of the relationship between the Executive and local government—territory that I do not want to go into just now.
Linda Fabiani:
SNP
Nor do many people.I have a specific interest in equal opportunities. I was a member of the Equal Opportunities Committee. Paragraph 9 of your submission sta...