Charity Law and Regulation

Thursday 5th September 2013 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Mr Nick Hurd)]

I can announce the publication today of the Government’s responses to two reports on charity law and regulation: (1) Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts’ statutory review of the Charities Act 2006; “Trusted and Independent; Giving charity back to charities” and (2) the Public Administration Select Committee’s third report of 2013-14; “The role of the Charity Commission and “public benefit”: Post-legislative scrutiny of the Charities Act 2006”.

I thank both Lord Hodgson and the Public Administration Select Committee for their detailed, thorough and well-balanced reports. Careful consideration was given to all of the recommendations in both reports, and feedback from charities and other partners was taken into account in developing the response.

The Government have accepted many, but not all, of the recommendations made by Lord Hodgson and the Public Administration Select Committee. We will focus on those recommendations which make it easier for people to set up or run a charity, or which boost public trust and confidence in charities. Implementation has already started on several recommendations, and we will report on progress next year.

The Government’s response will be laid before the House later today. It will also be available from: www.gov.uk/government/publications.