Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 11:13 pm on 20 June 1991.
Surely that has been superseded by the White Paper "Charities: A Framework for the Future". Paragraph 2·43 states:
Ministers welcome the advice and the guidance which charities can offer to Members of Parliament, to central and local government, and to other public authorities on a wide range of social problems. Charities should feel free to take the initiative in offering advice and opinions and in proposing changes in the law and should not need to wait to be invited to do so. The Government firmly believe, however, that such activities must remain ancillary to a charity's primary purposes, which must be clearly charitable and nonpolitical.
Is my hon. Friend really suggesting that the massive work that Oxfam and Christian Aid do—I declare an interest as an unpaid board member of Christian Aid—is ancillary to
their political campaigning? The money is spent on all the charitable activities for which those organisations are renowned.