One of several proposals for amendments to the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Bill is that fundraising charities must register with the Fundraising Standards Board.
The amendment, put forward by Labour peers Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town and Lord Watson of Invergowrie, proposes the insertion of a new clause that: “all fundraising charities must be members of the Fundraising Standards Board and abide by their Code of Fundraising Practice”.
Currently charities can choose whether they wish to register with the FRSB or not.
However, a quirk of Parliamentary convention means that both of these amendments will be withdrawn before the Lords can vote on them. What the two peers hope is that the government will pick them up and insert them into the bill later. If it doesn't, they will try to amend the bill again at report stage.
Another amendment proposed by the two peers relates to the disposal of assets. This includes that “charities may not, and may not be compelled to, use or dispose of their assets in a way which is inconsistent with their charitable purposes.”
They also proposed an amendment on “reporting misdemeanours” that says a trustee must report to the “Charity Commission any serious incident that results in, or risks causing, significant harm to their charity’s work, beneficiaries or reputation”.
They also proposed an amendment which states that a trustee “found guilty of a sexual offence or has been placed on the sex offenders register” would result in automatic disqualification from being a trustee.
Baroness Hayter and Lord Watson, alongside Lord Lea of Crondall, have proposed that a new clause should be added to the bill on the “power to make representations”.
These state that “a charity may undertake political campaigning or political activity in the context of supporting the delivery of its charitable purposes”; and “a charity may campaign to ensure support for, or to oppose, a change in the law, policy or decisions of central government, local authorities or other public bodies”.
The bill is due to be debated in the House of Lords at the committee stage later today.
