Chamber and committees

Good morning. I will move on to what you expect back from the reporting process. It is interesting that one of the charities that has been here this week is funded by at least two, if not three, of you. It was very complimentary about that. Clearly, things will change during a three-year period. It says that it is not a case of its having to resubmit an application; rather, there is a very open conversation about why it is changing things. How flexible are you about such reporting, particularly over a three-year period? Do you have strict deadlines—for example, that everything has to be reported every six months? What works well for ensuring that the system is used properly? Perhaps Erica Judge could start with that one.

Karin, can I bring you in?

My next question, which is on forward planning, is for any of the three funding organisations. Do you know what your budget will be in year 2 and year 3 from here, or are you working with variabilities, too? Presumably, it all depends on how many people buy lottery tickets, Neil.

I have a couple of quick questions. Going back to the start of the process, there seem to be about 101 different application forms. Is there any possibility that the process could be standardised with all the organisations like yours getting round the table and designing one application form, rather than the third sector having to obtain slightly different information for every application that is made?

One comment that we hear a lot from the third sector is that funders always want something new, so they have to redesign what they do and, rather than just carrying on, they slightly change the name or something else. There is a perception that they will not keep getting funding unless what they do is a wee bit new, or another organisation will be brought in but it has to start again, when the first organisation could still be doing it well.

Is that fair, Karin, or was the third sector just moaning? It is a leading question.

Thank you, convener.

I should also say for the record that I am a trustee of a charity that is receiving funding from the Robertson Trust, so thank you for that.

Good morning, minister, and good morning to your team. Your officials helpfully provide the committee and subject committees with weekly updates of the instruments that are expected to be laid in the following two weeks. I wonder whether you can provide an indication of the anticipated volume of any SSIs that are likely to be laid between now and Christmas, and the lead committees that they are expected to go to.

Given that some SSIs are much longer and more complex than others, it is particularly useful for this committee, as well as the subject committees, to be given as much advance notice as possible when there will be instruments that are large and complex. Do you know whether any such instruments or sets of instruments are in the pipeline? If not, will you commit to keeping the subject committees and our committee up to date on the progress of any such instruments?

Following on from that, minister, what updates can you provide on the discussions that your Government has had with the UK Government on proposals to grant UK ministers delegated powers in devolved areas and the use of consent requirements for such powers? Have those discussions taken into account our position in relation to the scrutiny of powers within devolved competence?