§ MR. DODD (Essex, Maldon)I beg to ask the Parliamentary Charity Commissioner whether the Commissioners propose in future to provide by their new schemes for charities (other than those under the Endowed Schools Act) that, as a rule, a certain number of the trustees should be co-opted; in how many of such schemes, settled or published by them within the last six mouths, the majority of trustees will, apart from any change that may be effected by any future legislation, ultimately be persons selected by a popular vote, and in how many so settled or published within the last six months the scheme has provided for co-optation of some of the future trustees, and in how many for the election of some of them by a popular vote; and how many such schemes have been so settled or published during that period?
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY CHARITY COMMISSIONER (Mr. T. E. ELLIS, Merionethshire)The number of schemes established by the Charity Commissioners under the Charitable Trusts Acts during the six months ending October 31st, 1893, was 134. Of these, 40 did not provide for the permanent constitution of a body of trustees, being either partial or amending schemes, or directed to some limited purpose. A further number of 49 of these schemes dealt with denominational charities, and two with general or non-local charities, to neither of which class of eases is the principle of popular representation considered to be applicable. Of the remaining 43 schemes, one provides only partially for the permanent constitution of the trustees. There remain 42 schemes which provide for the permanent constitution of the trustees, in all of which provision is made for the election of trustees representatively, whether by direct popular 1492 vote or otherwise. In 16 of these schemes the representative element is in a majority, in 22 in a minority, and four on an equality. Of these 42 schemes, 36 provide for the election of trustees by direct popular vote (in six of them in combination with trustees appointed by other modes of representation—e.g., by Guardians, Town Council, &c). In 13 of these 36 schemes the popular element is in a majority, in 20 in a minority, and in three on an equality. Of the six schemes in which no provision is made for a directly popular election, in three the representative element is in a majority, in two in a minority, and in one on an equality. Of the 42 schemes thus analysed, 24 provide for the appointment of co-optative trustees.