Asked by: Lord Donoughue (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 18 March (WS 50–52), how many trustees have been removed by the Charity Commission since 2007; how many trustees have been suspended by the Commission since 2007; and what discussions they have had with the Commission about its using its powers to investigate a breach of charitable law.
Answered by Lord Wallace of Saltaire - Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Cabinet Office)
The number of trustees of charities suspended or removed by the Charity Commission in each year since 2007 can be seen in the table below:
| Number of trustees suspended | Number of trustees removed |
2013/14 | 4 | 0 |
2012/13 | 0 | 0 |
2011/12 | 1 | 0 |
2010/11 | 1 | 0 |
2009/10 | 1 | 0 |
2008/09 | 1 | 1 |
2007/08 | 7 | 6 |
A number of meetings have been held with the Charity Commission to discuss its use of regulatory powers. The draft Protection of Charities Bill, announced as part of the Queen's Speech, would strengthen the powers of the Charity Commission to tackle abuse in charities.