Chamber and committees

Good morning, panel. Thank you for joining us. The changes that are proposed in the bill would allow OSCR to investigate former charities and their trustees. I will ask a couple of questions with regard to that. Is it appropriate for OSCR to be able to issue positive directions following that inquiry work?

Good morning, panel. I want to ask some questions about how the bill will impact on the number of charities in Scotland. Do you think that it will result in fewer charities in Scotland if it passes?

Have you done any work to quantify what that will look like and how many charities we are talking about?

Do you think that removing charitable status from organisations that have failed to submit their accounts is an appropriate measure? Is that the very last resort in trying to work with them to get that information?

Have you seen improvements when there is co-location of services, especially in rural communities? I grew up in Bankfoot in Perthshire. Looking back, what was there during my childhood has all gone, from the police station to the nursing provision. Now, services are co-located in the new church centre. There is lots going on there, but it has all had to come together, and I do not know whether that has been of benefit to some services and of detriment to others. Is there any data on how people change how they access such services?

Thanks for that. Jennifer, did you want to come in?

That is helpful. One of my concerns about where the 2015 act has not really made progress is that it outlines a process but not necessarily an outcome for people to focus on. How could the act be improved to empower communities and get them the outcome that they all want, rather than the process stopping that sometimes?

Is that final bit of resource the main challenge to shared leadership? I know that there are resources for administration and support services, but there is also the cost of delivering an outcome. I note that, in its submission, Glasgow City Council states that the local authority remains the dominant partner in its CPP, so is it that final financial barrier that is stopping some of these projects moving forward? What you have said suggests that it is nothing to do with being willing to let communities take these things forward.

Good morning. Thank you for joining us today. My questions relate to the issue that Fiona Robertson has just touched on—the diversion of resources for shared priorities. Do you have examples of where a change in culture and partnership working has facilitated that?

I was interested to hear Anna Whelan talk about individual island plans. How do those shape the way in which resources are allocated?

Does anyone else have anything to add?