Minister for civil society Nick Hurd said yesterday that he disagrees with the conclusion of Margaret Hodge, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, that the Charity Commission is “not fit for purpose”.

Speaking at the launch of Epic, a youth services community interest company which has spun out of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Hurd said the Charity Commission board has his full support.

“There is new leadership at the Charity Commission and we have confidence in them,” he said. “We want to support them in the difficult job they do.”

The Public Accounts Committee produced a damning report earlier this week which said there were “significant failings” at the Commission, and that it had “little confidence” in the ability of its leadership to address these issues.

“It is clear that the Charity Commission is not fit for purpose,” Margaret Hodge, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said in a statement accompanying the report.

Asked whether he agreed with the conclusions reached by Hodge and her committee, Hurd said: “No, I don’t.”