NAVCA (the National Association for Voluntary and Community
Action) has welcomed the publication of the first ever House of
Commons Select Committee Report into the Third Sector. The report -
'
Public Services and the Third Sector: Rhetoric and Reality' -
released on 9 July by the Public Administration Select Committee
looks at third sector involvement in the delivery of public
services.
NAVCA Briefing on 'Public Services and the Third Sector: Rhetoric
and Reality' (Word, 83 KB)
The Committee say that there is evidence showing that
third sector provision can provide a more flexible and joined up
approach and gain the trust of service users. However, they stress
that there is not the evidence to support the view that third
sector provision can be more innovative, provide a greater focus on
users and provides greater specialist knowledge and
expertise.
NAVCA supports some of the key findings of the Committee. In
particular, their finding of a lack of a level playing field
between different sectors, a call for more 'intelligent
commissioning' and training for key commissioners to enable this.
NAVCA is already working closely with the IDeA who have embarked on
such a training programme. NAVCA also supports the call for a
culture change across government to enable service users to realise
the full benefits the third sector can bring to public service
provision.
Neil Cleeveley, Director of Policy and Communications, said:
"NAVCA welcomes the first ever select committee report on the
third sector. Although for those in the third sector there is
little new in this report, it is significant that the Public
Administration Select Committee have felt that they need to look at
this issue. Coming so soon after the Conservatives' Green Paper
covering similar issues it shows that third sector issues are in
the mainstream of policy debate.
"The committee are new to this area and the
issues involved. It is perhaps no surprise that in parts their
thinking appears a little behind the time. Mass transfer of
services has never been an option and their call for a 'mixed
economy of provision' is not new. Whilst we note that they place
the onus on the Government to provide the evidence to support its
actions we would point to a number of studies proving the value of
involving the sector in delivering public services including
NAVCA's own Transforming Communities report. The Committee want
evidence of the third sector as transformational. We would rather
talk about how the third sector positively changes people's lives
on a daily basis.
"We are pleased that they have recognised the issues that exist
around the procurement and commissioning agendas. These are issues
that our members have been expressing concern over for a long time
and are the very reason we have recently established a
Local Commissioning and Procurement Unit. The Unit will help
our members to tackle these issues and help find answers to some of
the wider issues the Committee raises.
"The report raises the issue of grant funding.
We are pleased that the Committee support NAVCA's long held view
that grant funding is a vital element of funding for a healthy
third sector. However, the report states that grant funding has
remained stable since 2002. This is not true. NCVO's Civil Society
Almanac shows that grants have fallen between 2001 and 2006 by over
£300 million.
"This report will now go to the Government to formally respond and
NAVCA will play its part in influencing this
response".