Seòmar agus comataidhean

<>Under the terms of the Volunteering Support Fund (VSF) contract between the Scottish Government and Voluntary Action Fund (VAF), the VSF is promoted by VAF on their website; in social media and by emails. The VAF promotional material also provides details of how potential applicants can contact VAF staff for help with the application process.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00449 on 16 June 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

 

 

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00449 on 16 June 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

The Scottish Government has allocated £1.1 million per annum to the Volunteering Support Fund in each of the last four years. Details of the value of awards under each category and number of applications are as follows:

	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17
Grants to individual organisations	£731,657	£956,969	£1,003,538	££1,102,994
Grants to clusters of organisations	£293,150	£236,430	£149,580	£0
Number of applicants	143	194	228	296

Information is not held for the break down by (a) Scottish parliamentary constituency, (b) UK parliamentary constituency; (c) Scottish parliamentary region and (d) local authority area.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00448 on 16 June 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00448 on 16 June 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00448 on 16 June 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00449 on 16 June 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00556 on 16 June 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

The establishment of the Fair Food Fund is part of a sustained investment by the Scottish Government to tackle food poverty in Scotland. From 2013 to 2016 the food poverty budget was £500k per annum and supported the Emergency Food Fund. On 10 March 2016 Mr Neil, the then Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, announced an increase in the food poverty budget for 2016-17 to £1 million. On 2 June 2016 Ms Constance announced £1 million will be made available each year of this parliament from 2016-17 to invest in projects that provide dignified and sustainable support for people affected by food poverty.

The Fair Food Fund has been designed in conjunction with the Independent Short-Life Working Group on Food Poverty which has been commissioned by Scottish Ministers to identify the issues which push people into food poverty and make recommendations on how they can be addressed. Membership of the group includes poverty organisations such as Oxfam and the Poverty Alliance, emergency food providers such as the Trussell Trust, other organisations with an interest in food poverty such as Fareshare and Nourish Scotland, independent funders such as the Robertson Trust, Big Lottery and The Hunter Foundation, and local government. The group also includes people with direct experience of food poverty through the Poverty Truth Commission. The criteria for the fund aligns with the recommendations of the group.

The Fair Food Transformation Fund (52% of the overall budget) will open shortly and will be promoted through a range of organisations including Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations, Community Food and Health Scotland, Third Sector Interface and Interfaith. All funded projects will be evaluated throughout their lifetime to ensure that the Fair Food Fund is getting effective support to those who most need it.