The SFHA has submitted its response to the Scottish Government's Access to Information in Scotland consultation. This follows feedback received from members at an SFHA consultation meeting on 2 March 2023, as well as input from TC Young.
A briefing note summarising the key considerations for RSLs as part of the Scottish Government's consultation on access to information is now available. SFHA commissioned TC Young to produce the briefing on our behalf.
SFHA will be hosting a meeting on Microsoft Teams in order to gather views feed into its response to the Scottish Government consultation on Access to Information to Information Rights. This meeting will take place on Thursday 2 March at 11am. In advance of this meeting, TC Young will be drafting a briefing paper outlining some key considerations for our sector arising from the consultation paper.
Scottish Government is currently consulting on possible amendments to Freedom of Information legislation. Its Access to Information Rights in Scotland consultation closes on Tuesday 16 March and SFHA will be submitting a response. We will be seeking member views and bringing together a meeting in early March to discuss further. We have also commissioned TC Young to provide legal input as we draft our response.
Discounted services are available to SFHA members to help meeet the requirement to have in place a Data Protection Officer.
SFHA members have access to a range of resources to help them meet the requirements of Freedom of Information and data protection legislation. These have been developed in conjunction with legal specialists and relevant regulatory bodies, and include: template documentation; written guidance; sources to ring for further advice; and a forum to discuss current issues with peers.
A digital space for staff members who deal with FOI and/or Data Protection to discuss their experiences and seek advice from their peers within the sector is now available to SFHA members.
There have been a number of updates recently of interest to finance staff. An outline is provided here.
In her blog, SFHA Director of External Affairs Carolyn Lochhead calls for Mid Market Rent to be redefined as a type of social housing in the upcoming Housing Bill.
In March, SFHA will be exploring the importance of data and how the pandemic has shifted how we use, access, and share it within the social housing sector.
In March 2022, SFHA will host virtual conferences looking at best practice in Freedom of Information and Data Protection.
The new report, Registered Social Landlords and FOI: One Year On, is informed by data from a survey of RSLs and subsidiaries and statistics reported by organisations across 2020.
A free FOI helpline, provided by TC Young solicitors, is available exclusively to SFHA members.
In his blog post, Mark Chynoweth, General Manager of RGDP LLP, discusses GDPR and the requirements for RSLs to be compliant.
New discussion channel for SFHA members.
One year on from Freedom of Information legislation being extended to RSLs, the SFHA is pleased to announce that the free helpline provided exclusively to our members by TC Young will continue to be available for the coming year. SFHA will be holding an event in January with TC Young to talk about lessons learned from the first year.
