7. Mr. ROBINSONasked the Home Secretary the number of fraudulent charities that were brought to the notice 1340 of the Home Office Departmental Committee on the supervision of charities; the number of cases in which individuals running charities mainly or in whole for their personal benefit were prosecuted; the number of convictions secured in the years 1925 and 1926; and whether it is proposed to introduce legislation providing for the registration of all charities and increased penalties on persons found defrauding the charitable public?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSI hardly think it is possible to give precise figures under the heads set out in the first three paragraphs of the question. The hon. Member served on the Departmental Committee and he will therefore be aware that the witnesses who gave evidence sometimes referred to charities which they considered to be fraudulent and that in very many of these cases fraud had not been established in a Court of law. With regard to the last paragraph, I would remind the hon. Member that the report which he signed did not recommend the universal registration of charities. I am considering the question of introducing legislation to carry out the changes which the Committee did recommend, but I am not in a position to make any statement at present.