Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport written question – answered at on 30 July 2026.
Lord Black of Brentwood
Conservative
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to take any steps in light of the Committee for Privileges in the House of Commons, Matter referred on 4 September 2025: Actions of the Charity Commission; and in particular what steps they are taking to review appointments to, budgets of and use of powers by the Charity Commission.
Baroness Twycross
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport), The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office
The Charity Commission has apologised unreservedly to Parliament in response to the House of Commons Committee for Privileges report, and has accepted the report in full. The Commission is considering wider lessons to be learnt from the Committee's report, and it has also commissioned a judge-led independent review into its handling of the two cases.
This work is supported by additional resources for the Commission allocated in the recent Spending Review. Recognising the growing range of threats facing charities and the corresponding demands upon the Commission, the Government is also working with the Commission to expand its regulatory powers, and has full confidence in the current leadership of the Commission to deliver this. Charity Commission board appointments are made by the Secretary of the State in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments.
The House of Commons is one of the houses of parliament. Here, elected MPs (elected by the "commons", i.e. the people) debate. In modern times, nearly all power resides in this house. In the commons are 650 MPs, as well as a speaker and three deputy speakers.