§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether the constitution of the Jourdain Society meets all the requirements to warrant its continued charitable status;
(2) if he will make a statement on the charitable status of the Jourdain Society;
(3) what assessment the Charity Commission has made of the current functions and role of the Jourdain Society in relation to its charitable status.
§ Mr. Nicholas BakerThe charitable status of a particular body, and the appropriateness of its constitution, are matters for which responsibility rests with the Charity Commission and, ultimately, the courts.
I am advised that the Jourdain Society is registered with the Charity Commission on the basis of the objects expressed in its constitution, and that those objects are charitable in law. However, there has not been a recent assessment of the function and role of the Jourdain Society and the effect that these could have on its charitable status.
If the hon. Member has any concerns about the society, he should write to the chief charity commissioner.