Charity Bill Committee to take evidence from Charity Commission
The Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Draft Protection of Charities Bill will next week take evidence from the Charity Commission in its final evidence session before Christmas.
The Committee will hear from William Shawcross, Chairman of the Charity Commission and Michelle Russell, Director of Investigations.
The session will start at 2pm on Tuesday 16 December in Committee Room 4A of the House of Lords. Areas the Committee will touch on with the witnesses include:
- Are the new powers in the draft Bill needed, given the positive evidence the Committee have heard about the work of the Charity Commission?
- Does the culture of the Charity Commission need to change and if so how?
- How effectively does the Charity Commission work with law enforcement bodies and HMRC?
- How can the Charity Commission communicate about its work more effectively?
- Would the proposed power to issue statutory warnings be anything more than a symbolic measure?
- Is the disqualification of charity trustees on the basis of a caution appropriate?
- How would the Commission envisage using this power?
- How does the Commission identify charities that could be at risk of extremism particularly for those whose activities are focused overseas?
- Is the Commission concerned that anti-terrorism legislation makes it difficult to deliver humanitarian aid in areas where proscribed groups operate?
