Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government, what action they are taking to support the Charity Commission in improving the way it handles cases of whistleblowers following the Commission's application to pursue a judicial review of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman being refused.

The Charity Commission for England and Wales spent £70,000 on external legal advice and representation in relation to this matter from 2024. In taking the legal action, the Commission was seeking legal clarity on questions of jurisdiction between it and the PHSO which the Commission felt was important to clarify for both the sector it regulates and complainants.

The Commission does not collate information on staff time spent on this matter, so it is not possible to provide an estimate of the total costs to public funds.

The Commission has established procedures for dealing sensitively with disclosures from whistleblowers. In light of the PHSO's reports on the two cases in question, the Commission has already taken steps to further improve how it records its risk assessments and how it communicates with those raising concerns about a charity.

This work is ongoing, supported by additional resources for the Commission allocated in the recent Spending Review. Recognising the growing range of threats facing charities and the corresponding demands upon the Commission, the Government is also working with the Commission to expand its regulatory powers.

A former member of the Court of Appeal, Sir Gary Hickinbottom, has been appointed to lead an independent review of the two cases and specifically to examine the Commission's regulatory decision making in these matters.