Chamber and committees

We do not want to end up with local authorities turning away people who are eight rather than six months away from homelessness. I appreciate John Mills’s comment about wanting to do this work as early as we can, but when you have limited resources and are working within a legal structure, this might become the default position. That is the danger, I suppose.

If I may move on to crisis—

Do the other two witnesses wish to come in on that?

I have no relevant interests.

That is helpful. Despite it being in the original charter, was it ever Social Security Scotland’s intention to make referrals to other organisations that provide advice and information? Is that an example of a change from the charter being aspirational to it just describing current procedure?

Good morning to the panel. Thank you for coming. I declare that I have been and am a trustee of a number of charities.

I had the pleasure of helping to take the bill through the committee, and it is now the 2023 act. On 1 October 2024, and in summer next year, some of the powers to direct charities to take specific actions, the power to appoint interim trustees and the requirement to create a publicly searchable record of disqualified trustees all come into force, as I am sure you are all aware. What are you doing to prepare for those powers and requirements? Are you confident that you will be ready to meet those new responsibilities?

You have answered it. Thank you.

Thank you. That is helpful.

I would like to take you back to the previous question from my colleague Roz McCall. I was the chair and one of three trustees of a very small charity—we met around my kitchen table. I think that what we were doing was quite good stuff, but we were all doing other things. How do you communicate with a really small charity that is doing a good thing very locally but which really does not have the energy, time and resources to respond to you, compared to the National Trust for Scotland, for example, which is a massive charitable organisation?

Is there time for an extra question, convener?