Anna Turley: I thank the Minister for his helpful response. It was extremely important to hear his clarifications, particularly about the six protections that will be in place before the power is used, and the clear and helpful examples he gave of instances in which the power will be used. The amendment relates not to the warnings and the tribunal dealt with in clause 1, but to whether the power will...
Anna Turley: I am happy to take any interventions. We are indeed rattling through these clauses and are the beneficiaries of some excellent analysis of the Bill during its long progress through the other place and in pre-legislative scrutiny. A lot of action has been taken to clarify and improve the Bill. Indeed, it is clear from its drafting that this clause has benefited from much scrutiny. Clause 7...
Anna Turley: I echo the Minister’s concluding comments. As well as supporting the Charity Commission, the clause will support many charities that often struggle with individual trustees who may have been unable to take necessary action. This will enable the commission to step in and essentially fill a void where no one has had the power to tackle the issue. Again, we welcome clause 8. It will amend the...
Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when concerns were first raised with his Department over the financial viability of SSI in Redcar.
Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what criteria were used to cap the value of the Government support package to £80 million for people affected by the closure of SSI Redcar.
Anna Turley: What proportion of hospital trusts are in deficit.
Anna Turley: John Appleby, the chief economist at the independent think tank the King’s Fund, said recently that although the Government claim they will get an increase in funding in the NHS, they have “in effect, already spent the money” because of the scale of the hospital deficits. In my South Tees area, the deficit for 2014-15 is nearly £17 million. Will the Minister accept that the Government...
Anna Turley: It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Main. I would like to echo felicitations for a happy new year for everyone on the Committee. I would also like to thank everybody across the community and voluntary sector who spent time over Christmas and the new year, as we know they will have done, in their communities undertaking many hours of community and voluntary service, helping...
Anna Turley: I would like to respond to the Minister’s last point. I was going to make an intervention, but I am afraid I missed him. I appreciate his ambitions, but the Government’s record on house building does not fill us with confidence. The number of under-35s who own a home has fallen by 20%.
Anna Turley: It is an important point in terms of ambition versus reality, but I appreciate your point, Mrs Main, and I will stick to the clause. I was interested to hear that about three quarters of housing associations have signed up, because the housing association in my area has not signed up and has strong views against it. I am also not convinced that the Minister has a plan for like-for-like...
Anna Turley: My hon. Friend makes an extremely important point. The issue is the charitable ambitions of housing associations in supporting those who are most vulnerable and in need. The danger is that we are moving away from that.
Anna Turley: I disagree with the hon. Lady, because charities currently have the flexibility to do as they wish with their assets as long as that is in line with their charitable status. The removal of the clause is about trying to push charities towards selling off assets—selling off the family silver—but, whatever their charitable status may be, whether tackling poverty and inequality or...
Anna Turley: We agree with the Minister on clause 10 and will not suggest amendments to it. It sets out important new powers to disqualify individuals from being a charity trustee. However, there are still some concerns in the sector and among individuals, and we think it is important to explore them at this stage of the Bill’s journey. First, it is important to reiterate that many charity trustees...
Anna Turley: I beg to move amendment 7, in clause 11, page 10, line 5, after “person” add “or persons”.
Anna Turley: I am indeed reassured by the Minister’s comments, and I look forward to working with the Charity Commission to ensure that we clarify some of the issues involved. I take his point about the ability to dismiss entire boards for systemic governance failures. It is an important power for the commission to have, and I want to ensure that it goes far enough. Conditions D, E and F raise issues...
Anna Turley: I beg to move amendment 5, in clause 11, page 10, line 31, leave out “(either generally or in relation to the charities or classes of charity specified or described in the order)” and insert, “, as defined by the Commission in a specific document to be published after consultation and renewed every five years”.
Anna Turley: I thank the Minister for a thorough and helpful explanation of the steps involved and the safeguards that will be in place. To some extent, it sounded like there would be a triple lock through the commission’s criteria and the notice period for the tribunal, which is reassuring. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff Central for her helpful contribution. She made the really...
Anna Turley: I beg to move amendment 6, in clause 11, page 11, line 33, after “conduct” insert, “both relevant and serious”.
Anna Turley: I thank the Minister for his response and other members of the Committee for their interesting and thought-provoking questions, which help us and set out the benefit of going through a Bill line by line in Committee. It allows us to set out some of the issues that still need clarification. In light of the Minister’s answer, and particularly the reassurance that he gave at some length on the...
Anna Turley: It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Hamilton. I welcome you to the Committee. The Opposition support clause 12. We have tabled no amendments to it because it is an important measure in ensuring public scrutiny and accountability regarding the decisions taken by the commission and the court, along with the circumstances surrounding, and any learning that might come from,...