External Review of ASH Scotland 2014

9 How Well Does ASH Scotland Provide Value for Money for the Scottish Government?

9.1 A specific objective of this external review was to assess the extent to which ASH Scotland provides value for money for the Scottish Government, both for core activities and for specific projects. The Government funded activities include the inequalities work, youth work, cessation training, information service, but, appropriately, do not include funding for the organisation's advocacy and lobbying activities. The Scottish Government's own Best Value guidelines were used to structure this review, and so in many ways the overall findings from the review will help answer this question. However, within this objective is contained a further question on what the Scottish Government understands to be good value for money and how it can assess ASH Scotland's value and contribution.

9.2 External stakeholders comment that ASH Scotland adds value in a number of ways. They see ASH Scotland's role as vitally important in making sure that other actors in academia, politics, and civil society are aware of what others do. The research and information work is seen as vitally important in informing different local and national organisations, including the Scottish Government, in their work to promote tobacco control. ASH Scotland is seen as being
able to deliver on a wide range of activities that no other single organisation could. Lastly, external stakeholders and the Scottish Government both acknowledged that ASH Scotland plays a specific and important role in providing constructive challenge to Government, which they are in a position to do as an independent organisation with diverse funding sources.

9.3 As we have discussed above, ASH Scotland performs well in relation to the requirements associated with its Government funding, and also delivers an impact beyond its size in terms of contribution to the national Strategy. External stakeholders observe that for its campaigning or lobbying role, and its information and advocacy work there is no effective competition (nor any wish to compete) from others in the tobacco control sector.

9.4 The nature of value for money judgements is that they address overall effectiveness and value, not just cost. In terms of the Government's assessment it will be important, in the light of the findings, to consider what it wants to fund ASH Scotland to do in a time when resources may be more limited. These decisions will need to be framed within the wider landscape of tobacco control activities in Scotland, in particular the ongoing work undertaken by NHS Health Scotland and other health boards and local government to support the national Strategy. They will also need to be framed within a timeline which identifies the priority areas for action over the Strategy's lifetime. Such a mapping may help identify where ASH Scotland can make most contribution, have greatest impact and offer best value.