Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the written statement, Consultation on Charity Commission powers to tackle extremism, HCWS375, 14 October 2026, whether the consultation (a) excludes and (b) includes criminals.

The proposed powers in the Consultation include extending automatic disqualification from serving as a trustee or senior manager of a charity to individuals who have unspent convictions for hate crimes and some other criminal offences.

Where an individual has been convicted of an offence that does not result in automatic disqualification, the Charity Commission can use its discretionary disqualification power to disqualify them, if the statutory tests are met.

The consultation also proposes expanding the criteria for the Charity Commission’s discretionary disqualification power to include conduct which promotes or encourages violence or racial or religious hatred.

Behaviour does not need to meet the criminal threshold to be considered by the Commission when making a disqualification order using this power.