Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress his Department is making on tackling aggressive fundraising activities by charities.

Last year the Government accepted the recommendations made in a sector-led review of fundraising regulation to support the setup of a new independent regulator with stronger sanctions and control of the code of practice.

Since then there have been several positive changes. The Code of Fundraising Practice has already been strengthened in several areas. The law has been changed in the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016 to better protect vulnerable individuals and encourage greater accountability. The Charity Commission has published updated fundraising guidance that emphasises trustees’ role in over-seeing fundraising. Many charities and their representative bodies are already taking their own steps to improve fundraising practices.

The new Fundraising Regulator is due to open in July and will proactively ensure that charities fundraise to the high standards the public expect.