Chamber and committees

Can you talk specifically about any barriers within social security?

I direct my question to Paul Bradley from the SCVO first.

My next question is for Kaja Czuchnicka. In your submission, you note that in order to achieve the volunteering for all strategy and to get to a fairer Scotland, a number of social security changes and other changes would need to happen. Can you tell us what those specific social security changes would need to be so that we can support and encourage volunteering?

My next question is for Ian Bruce. Could you tell us a little bit about the experience of your organisation in delivering for the people and organisations that you represent, specifically around the employment of people in your organisations? Have you seen any need across Glasgow for redundancies? Has that been an on-going concern in the past year and a half?

I have one additional question. We heard earlier about some of the disadvantages that people experience in volunteering and that the number of disabled people who have volunteered is of concern. Can you tell us anything about those figures? Do you have experiences that you can share with regard to improving volunteering or supporting disabled people to volunteer? How could we make that happen across the country?

I do not want to pick on someone, but I know that, in Glasgow, the Glasgow Disability Alliance has been involved in a lot of work, so I put the question to Ian Bruce. Is there anything that you could share that we could listen to and look to use to bring about improvement elsewhere?

Thank you. That would be helpful.

That is helpful.

My final question is for Paul Bradford and Martin Tyson and concerns the sustained funding. There is now a three-year funding approach from the UK Government. Do you have any indication that that kind of approach will be transferred to the funding arrangements that you will get from the Scottish Government?

What could the Parliament and the Government do to support the third sector to make sure that we maintain jobs in the sector and ensure fair work practices?

Thank you for your submissions and for joining us. I would like to put on record again my thanks for the work that you have all done, particularly in the past year and a half, which I know has been a really difficult time for the sector. I appreciate the work that you do.

My first questions are for Myles Fitt. In your latest data, you have noted a 138 per cent increase in visits to your mental health web pages. Why do you think that is? What are you hearing through your bureaux? Could you tell us a bit about the model that is being used to deliver services online or by phone, and the importance of a hybrid approach, if, indeed, that is what you are hoping to do going forward?

Thank you for your responses so far, which have been helpful.

Could you tell us a bit about the recovery fund that went to specific local authorities? Are you aware of how that money was delivered and distributed? What were the criteria? When the additional local authorities were made eligible for that funding, do you know whether additional funding followed that or was the original amount spread out further? I would like to hear from Ian Bruce and Eoin MacNeil on that.