§ SIR JOHN BRUNNER (Cheshire, Northwich)I beg to ask the Member for the Thirsk and Malton Division as representing the Charity Commission. 1375 whether he will request the trustees of the Liptrot Charity in the township of Runcorn, No. 990, in the books of the Charity Commissioners to fulfil their statutory duty by sending copies of their three last yearly statements of accounts to the Urban District Council of Runcorn.
THE PARLIAMENTARY CHARITY COMMISSIONER (Mr. GRANT LAWSON,) Yorkshire, N.R., ThirskThe statutory obligation of the trustees of the Liptrot Charity in respect of rendering accounts to local authorities is confined, as regards non-ecclesiastical charities, to annually laving accounts before the parish meeting of any rural parish affected by those accounts. In the case of ecclesiastical charities these accounts are to be rendered to the vestry. The Runcorn Urban District Council have obtained under Section 33 (1) of the Local Government Act, 1894, the powers of the parish council; but, inasmuch as those powers do not include the powers of a parish meeting, the Urban District Council have not acquired the right of requiring accounts from the trustees of the charity. Copies of the accounts of the charity can be obtained by the Urban District Council from the office of the Charity Commissioners on payment of the charge of copying.