Seòmar agus comataidhean

Good morning, minister. We have spoken about the importance of families being involved in rehabilitation and support, Obviously, the minister touched on that in her opening statement, but I would be grateful if she could outline how the whole-family approach is being developed, who is or will be involved in its development and how local organisations will be supported to act on that.

I have one final question. We know that drug-related deaths among women are increasing. The evidence from the previous panel was that women are at greater risk during the perinatal period, partly because they are afraid of seeking help because of the possible consequences. The evidence submitted by Aberlour, and what we have heard this morning, touched on the difference that mother and child recovery houses, such as Cowan Grove in Dundee, make to women’s lives. Although such houses may not be appropriate for every woman, how do we ensure that services such as those are available to all pregnant women who might require them? On a wider note, what more can be done to ensure a gender-informed approach to tackling drug misuse?

We know that families affected by substance misuse are often dealing with other issues such as poverty, poor housing or poor health. It would be fair to say that recovery is far more difficult when those issues are also present. How do you see the whole-family approach having a positive impact on those other areas?

Can any detail be provided on how the process of engagement between OSCR and charities that have failed to submit accounts will work? Equally, can any assurance be provided that, when charities have not submitted accounts because of a lack of resources, skills or knowledge, OSCR will provide appropriate support to seek to avoid them being removed from the register when there is a willingness to comply but an inability to do so?

Good morning, and welcome to the seventh meeting in 2023 of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee. We have received apologies from James Dornan, and I welcome Evelyn Tweed as a committee substitute.

Before we move to our first item of business, I advise members that the committee has received responses to its letters concerning warrants to install prepayment meters. Those letters have been published in the correspondence section of the committee’s website, and the committee will consider next steps as part of its work programme.

Our main item of business today is our final evidence session on the Charities (Regulation and Administration) (Scotland) Bill. The bill aims to strengthen and update the current legislative framework for charities by increasing transparency and accountability. It also aims to improve the powers of the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and to bring Scottish charity legislation up to date with certain key aspects of regulation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In our previous two meetings, we heard from witnesses representing charities, charity regulation, law, academia, accountancy and audit. We conclude our evidence sessions today by hearing from Shona Robison, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government. I welcome the cabinet secretary and the Scottish Government officials who are joining us today. They are Caroline Monk, who is the head of charity law; Melissa Smith, who is the charity law policy manager; and Rebecca Reid and Megan Stefaniak, who are both solicitors.

I will make a couple of quick points about the format of the meeting before we begin. Members who are attending remotely should wait until I say their name before they speak. Colleagues who are in the room and wish to ask supplementary questions should indicate that to me or to the clerks. Members who are joining us online should use the chat box or WhatsApp to indicate that.

I invite the cabinet secretary to make a short opening statement.

We move back to questions from the deputy convener, Emma Roddick.

Absolutely. Thank you.

I have a final question. Is the Scottish Government committed to further consideration of legislative changes to support the reorganisation of statutory charities? We have seen wide support for that in the evidence that we have taken so far.

You have touched on the topic of my next question. We have discussed communication and engagement, and there will have to be allowance for the potential development of new digital tools to help with the collection of data and to minimise any administrative burden on charities. Are discussions with OSCR on whether that is appropriate on-going?

I have one final question on this theme. What are your views on how OSCR might communicate with parent charities if there are issues with individual charities not submitting accounts? For example, would it be appropriate for OSCR to communicate with a church body if there were issues with a specific church?