§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reviews of registered charities have now been completed under the Charities Act 1960; and what has been the cost of the review process to date.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesThe Charity Commissioners inform me that no record is kept of the total number of inquiries into the affairs of registered charities. The total cost of inquiries that have been conducted under the Charities Act 1960, based on the number and grades of staff employed on this work, is approximately £200,000.
§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of Charity Commissioners now operating United Kingdom charity law; and how many years in this post each has spent.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesThe jurisdiction of the Charity Commissioners extends only to England and Wales. There are at present three commissioners, who have served for 6½ years, 4½ years and 3½ years.
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§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total staffing of the Charity Commission offices; how many are employed in each regional office now and in each of the past nine years; and what was the total cost of the Charity Commission in each of the past five years.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesThere are at present 350 staff employed at the Charity Commission, of whom 232 are in the London office and 118 in the Liverpool office. The number of staff employed as at 1 April in each of the past nine years was as follows:
Total London Liverpool 1970 315 253 62 1971 318 219 99 1972 318 223 95 1973 356 251 105 1974 359 251 108 1975 359 238 121 1976 359 238 121 1977 348 229 119 1978 348 230 118 The approximatae cost of running the charity Commission, exclusive of the cost of accommodation, to 31 March in each of the past five years was as follows:
1974–75 £1,096,000 1975–76 £1,467,000 1976–77 £1,531,000 1977–78 £1,630,000 1978–79 £1,740,000