§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many investigations have been carried out under section 8 of the Charities Act 1993: and what was the average length of time taken to complete an investigation. [134441]
§ Mr. Boateng[holding answer 31 October 2000]: Section 8 of the Charities Act 1993 came into force on 1 August 1993. In the calendar years from 1994 to 1999, inclusive, 2,595 investigations under section 8 of the Charities Act 1993 have been completed. The Commission has changed its reporting from calendar to financial years. Where appropriate both are shown in this breakdown:
205W
Number 1994 523 1995 926 1996 347 1997 345 1998 199 1999 255 2000 (to 30 September) 234
Number 1998–99 260 1999–2000 255 2000 (April-September) 130 Statistical information on the average length of time taken to complete an investigation is currently not routinely collected, but plans are under way to collect this information for future years.
§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many investigations under section 8 of the Charities Act 1993 have taken more than 12 months to complete; and what percentage of section 8 investigations this represents. [134440]
§ Mr. Boateng[holding answer 31 October 2000]: The figures for the length of time taken to conclude investigations in the years 1993–98 are not held centrally. The figures for the most recent years are:
1998–99 1999–2000 20001 Number of investigations completed 260 255 130 Number of investigations taking more than 12 months to complete 68 82 26 Percentage of investigations taking more than 12 months to complete 26 32 20 1 April to September
§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many charities were removed from the Charities' Register following an investigation under section 8 of the Charities Act 1993 in each year since the Act came into force. [134439]
§ Mr. Boateng[holding answer 31 October 2000]: Removal from the Register is not one of the remedial or protective powers available to the Charity Commission under section 18 of the Act (which applies to section 8 investigations). The Commission's remedial powers include the suspension, removal and appointment of charity trustees, and the freezing of bank accounts. These measures are designed to protect the assets of a charity under investigation and ensure they are applied properly in the future.
In exceptional circumstances, where it is clear these statutory measures are insufficient to secure the charity's future the Commission can propose the transfer of assets to another charity and the winding up of the original charity. Historical statistics are not held centrally but in the six months April-September 2000, nine charities were removed in these circumstances and proposals to remove a further nine remain under consideration.