Alun Michael MP told yesterday's meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Civil Society and Volunteering that there is often a gap between the government's intentions and the outcomes created by its policies.

Men may have ruled the political panel, but women packed the punches from the audience in the Civil Society Question Time debate, says Niki May Young.

The government has renewed its commitment to provide 0.7 per cent of gross national income on aid from 2013 in the Queen's speech this morning, but a senior figure at aid charity One has warned it must be "enshrined in law" to protect the promise.

The Charity Finance Group has released its 2012 salary survey, which finds that the largest organisations with over £25m income have increased pay while most staff in charities with £1-5m income have seen their wages drop.