HC Deb 24 January 1980 vol 977 cc315-7W
Miss Fookes

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now reply to the report of the Expenditure Committee on the Charity Commissioners and their accountability.

Mr. Whitelaw

The Government have considered the report by the Expendi- members, other than civil servants, that have been established since May 1979, giving the names of those appointed to each and the estimated annual cost in each case.

Mr. Whitelaw

The information is as follows:

ture Committee on the Charity Commissioners and their accountability published in September 1975 and have also taken into account the conclusions reached by Lord Goodman's committee on charity law and voluntary organisations, which was set up by the National Council of Social Services and reported in December 1976.

The Government appreciate the useful work done by both Committees in examining a wide range of issues relating to charity law and administration. It is now over four years since the Expenditure Committee reported and three years since the Goodman committee reported. Their proposals need to be viewed in the light of the Government's current policies.

The Government recognise that charitable trusts occupy a special position in our law and that special privileges attach to charitable status. We believe that the concept of charity in the legal sense remains valid and useful since it both reflects and encourages a spirit of benefaction and public service whose continuance is of great importance to society. The Government do not consider that there is at present a need for changes in the law on charitable status or in the administrative practices relating to charities. We do, however, set great value on the contribution made by voluntary organisations and volunteers to the provision of a wide range of services and facilities that are essential to the wellbeing of society. We are considering how best we may, within the present financial restraints, encourage the development of the voluntary sector as a whole, and in that context we are paying particular attention to the Goodman committee's recommendations relating to fiscal matters.