Peers send Charities Bill to Commons for further consideration
New laws governing charities have cleared the House of Lords.
The Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Bill will now go to the House of Commons for MPs to give it further consideration.
The Bill’s measures include giving the Charity Commission for England and Wales new and tougher powers to tackle serious abuse of charities.
The legislation is likely to be changed in the Commons following the publication of a review into charity fundraising currently being led by Sir Stuart Etherington.
As the Bill was given a third reading, Cabinet Office minister Lord Bridges of Headley said the Government believed charities could put their own house in order following a series of scandals over how some raise money.
He told peers: “Some have suggested that we should legislate to make charities submit to self-regulation. That would effectively be statutory regulation, not self-regulation.
“We will wait to see what Sir Stuart recommends, but we do not want to legislate for a new bureaucracy in particular we do not want to entangle with red tape the vast majority of charities who have not had anything to do with the unacceptable practices reported in the media.
“Our preference remains self-regulation not a Government regulated solution.”
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town, speaking for Labour on the Bill, said: “My own judgment is that a pure self-regulation will no longer be acceptable.”
But she did not push an amendment on the issue to a vote.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2015, All Rights Reserved.
