Transparency is one of the SSRO’s core values. When the SSRO issues a consultation document (including a working paper or call for input), we can make the document available on this section of the website, so that interested persons can engage if they choose. Current open consultations are listed below.
The consultation process allows stakeholders to understand the changes proposed by the SSRO and to assess the impact. The process also allows any member of the public to engage with our work and not just those who are obvious stakeholder organisations.
Although the SSRO does not have a legal duty to consult its stakeholders on how it delivers its statutory functions, our Stakeholder Engagement Strategy sets out our commitment to an evidence-based approach to delivering our statutory functions and a reliance on feedback and input as a key part of the evidence base.
Where the SSRO is looking for written input from stakeholders on working papers / call for input or consultation documents it will consider how much time is appropriate. This is typically 4 weeks duration for a working paper / call for input and 8 weeks duration for a consultation paper.
The SSRO seeks to ensure that the experience of stakeholders participating in our consultations is positive. In planning a consultation we give consideration to: the time required for stakeholders to respond, which may be affected by matters such as complexity, timing (e.g. more time may need to be allowed over the summer or Christmas); whether we are asking for stakeholders’ input on other consultations at the same time; and other demands (e.g. year end accounts).
The SSRO ensures that stakeholders are clear on the decisions that have been taken following their engagement and understand what changes are being made and why. A response following consultation is produced to enable this. Individual stakeholder responses may also be published on the SSRO’s website following a call for input, issue of a working paper or consultation where the SSRO has been clear at the beginning of the process that it intends to do this, and the stakeholders have provided their consent.
The SSRO is committed to complying with the government’s consultation principles.