The Commission on Unclaimed Assets, looking at how money left unclaimed in dormant bank accounts and the like, published its final report last week (14th March), in time for the Chancellor’s Budget.

‘The Social Investment Bank - its organisation and role in driving development of the third sector’ calls for the creation of an independent Social Investment Bank “to develop the social investment market on a scale that can support the UK’s vibrant and diverse but under-capitalised third sector, including social enterprise, community development and voluntary organisations”.

To be credible, it needs initial capital of at least £250 million, with an annual income stream of £20 million for a minimum of four years. Initial activities would include developing the provision of advice, support and higher-risk investment so as to accelerate the growth of demand for repayable finance and develop programmes of sustained investment in specific markets such as community regeneration and financial inclusion.

The report is in pdf format (a large 2.76MB) at http://www.unclaimedassets.org.uk/downloads/CUA_report_FINAL.pdf (there’s an interesting diagram of existing funding streams), with the press release in Word format, 438kb. NCVO’s statement on the report is at http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/press/index.asp?id=4436.

This month’s ICT Hub online newsletter asks “Is Linux truly accessible?”. A web designer and user of voice recognition software reckons that while text to speech systems (like screen readers) are easy to find for Linux, voice recognition software is somewhat impossible.

ICT Hub as usual has put this article online in Word, a practice which has its own accessibility drawbacks - http://www.icthub.org.uk/newsletter/March_Newsletter_04.html. AbilityNet has also produced some Accessibility Guides to Key Open Source Software, all in pdf format, at http://www.icthub.org.uk/Factsheets/Open_Source.html.

A possible way to influence key politicians is Labourspace at http://www.labourspace.com, which we’ve just discovered via a roundabout route.

This gives space “to tell the Labour Party and its politicians about an issue you feel passionately about. You might be a charity, an NGO or a local activist and now is your chance to engage Labour with your campaign.” At the end of each themed month a local and national campaign which have generated support will be presented to a wide political community and Labour Party policy makers.

A review by organisations from across the third sector is looking into the legal and regulatory barriers to campaigning for charities. It will look at four key issues: charity law and the guidance issued by the Charity Commission; media restrictions including the Communications Act 2006; criminal restrictions on campaigning; and freedom of information.

The Advisory Group on Campaigning and the Voluntary Sector is chaired by Helena Kennedy QC and has representatives from UK charities, individuals working in the voluntary sector and lawyers. This includes Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Oxfam, RNID, RSPCA and Sheila McKechnie Foundation.

The Advisory Group will produce a report making recommendations for legislative change and is intended to influence the Charity Commission and Office of the Third Sector and Treasury review of the role of the voluntary sector.

Charities are encouraged to fill in their Questionnaire on charity law, campaigning and CC9, by 28th March. We have put a version in rich text format (rtf) on VoluntaryNews which can be filled in and returned by email.

Read opinion piece by Helena Kennedy in Society Guardian, or news item on Charity Times.

Personnel professionals’ body CIPD has a new ‘HR Goes Green’ campaign.

There’s an article in the latest People Management magazine at http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/naturalresource.htm, and a factsheet ‘The environment and people management’ at http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/corpstrtgy/corpsocres/envirnpm. While seeming to be written for those in larger private businesses, much of this will be of wider relevance.

Regulations prohibiting discrimination and harassment on the basis of sexual orientation in the provision of goods, services, facilities, education and premises were brought in for Northern Ireland from 1st January. Similar measures are now due to take effect in the rest of the UK from 30th April.

See government news release at http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1002882&PressNoticeID=2366, response to consultation at http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1508235 or Sandy Adirondack’s legal update at http://www.sandy-a.co.uk/employment.htm#xesualorientation-servicedelivery.

The Health and Safety Executive has redesigned its web pages for new and expectant mothers, making it easier to access guidance on workplace issues. http://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/index.htm.

Following a European court case, government guidance from the DTI on rest breaks for workers who work more than six hours a day (less for 16 or 17 year-olds) has had to be amended. Employers must encourage workers to take rest breaks, and not just allow them to.

See Sandy Adirondack’s Legal Update item at http://www.sandy-a.co.uk/employment.htm#restbreaks.

The Disability Rights Commission has produced ‘Recruiting, Retaining and Developing Disabled Volunteers’ as guidance for volunteer opportunity providers. “Enabling disabled people to participate fully in a wide range of volunteering activities provides the opportunity to develop confidence and to participate in their local communities to develop skills relevant to the workplace.”

It looks at barriers to volunteering, reasonable adjustments, insurance etc. Download in various formats.

The latest bunch of revisions from HM Revenue and Customs of particular relevance to charities:
– Trading and business activities: The old helpsheet IR2001 Trading by charities has been withdrawn. See the customer guide on trading and business activities instead, http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/trading/tax-vat.htm.
– Gift Aid for donations from companies detailed guidance notes have been updated, http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/guidance-notes/chapter3/sectionc.htm.
– VAT Notice 701/2 covering exemption of services and goods relating to welfare has been restructured and rewritten to improve readability. (February 2007 replaces June 2004).

The University of Leicester is offering a new Foundation Degree course in ‘Managing Voluntary and Community Organisations’ with a “fully interactive learning experience”. Starting April 2007, it is aimed at those working in the  sector and delivered by people with hands-on experience of the sector too.

Contact Jane Christie at the Institute of Lifelong Learning, phone 0116 252 5964 or email: fjc6@le.ac.uk, or see http://www.le.ac.uk/lifelonglearning/humanities/mvcodl.html.

Last week’s session of parliamentary questions to the Cabinet Office (7th March) included discussion on involving the voluntary and community sector in providing services for the socially excluded and support to co-operatives and social enterprise.