|
[Home]
[About]
[Motions]
[Manifesto]
[Outside Views]
[Frequently
Asked
Questions]
[Contact Us]
|
Motions in The House of Commons
------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) THE TEXT OF EARLY DAY MOTION 55 of 2002/03
COMBATING FRAUDULENT CHARITY COLLECTIONS
Tabled by Adrian Sanders MP
That this House believes that urgent action is needed to deal with fraudulent charity collections, that the existing law does not prevent the registration of crooked charities, and that the official advice on how to prevent fraudulent collections on private premises is ineffective; notes that the Dundee Report to the Scottish Executive, published in June 2000, contains many essential lessons for the better administration of charitable collections outwith as well as inside Scotland, including its warning to owners of premises against the common reliance on a charity number and headed notepaper when considering whether a proposed collection is in order, its finding that charities commonly refuse to help police with their enquiries, and its suggestions that charities cannot be relied upon to police themselves; further notes that many signs of support for the Charity Check System, including a written statement of opinion in the National Assembly for Wales signed by a majority of backbenchers, a motion passed unanimously by the London Assembly, welcoming the support already shown for the Charity Check system by licensing authorities and retail managers, endorsements from many eminent institutions, including the British Retail Consortium, the Guild of Management Consultants, the London Voluntary Service Council and the continued use of the system by some leading retailers which has prevented many fraudulent collections; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to investigate a non-legislative solution along the lines of the Charity Check System to reduce fraudulent charity collections.
Top of page
------------------------------------------------------------------
(2) THE TEXT OF EARLY DAY MOTION 13 of 2001/02
COMBATING FRAUDULENT CHARITY COLLECTIONS
Tabled by Adrian Sanders MP
That this House believes that urgent action is needed to deal with fraudulent charity collections, that the existing law does not prevent the registration of crooked charities, and that the official advice on how to prevent fraudulent collections on private premises is ineffective; notes that the Dundee Report to the Scottish Executive, published in June 2000, contains many essential lessons for the better administration of charitable collections outwith as well as inside Scotland, including its warning to owners of premises against the common reliance on a charity number and headed notepaper when considering whether a proposed collection is in order, its finding that charities commonly refuse to help police with their enquiries, and its suggestions that charities cannot be relied upon to police themselves; further notes the many signs of support for the charity check system, including a written statement of opinion in the National Assembly for Wales signed by a majority of backbenchers, a motion passed unanimously by the London Assembly, welcoming the support already shown for the Charity Check system by licensing authorities and retail managers, endoresements from many eminent institutions, including the British Retail Consortium, the Guild of Management Consultants, the London Voluntary Service Council and the continued use of the system by some leading retailers which has prevented many fraudulent collections; and calls on Her Majesty's Goverment to investigate a non-legislative solution along the lines of the Charity Check system to reduce fraudulent charity collections.
Top of page
------------------------------------------------------------------
(3) THE TEXT OF EARLY DAY MOTION 417 of 2000/01
COMBATING FRAUDULENT CHARITY COLLECTIONS (No.2)
Tabled by Adrian Sanders MP
That this House congratulates Thames Valley Police for initiating the
landmark prosecution resulting in convictions on 1st March, for large-scale
theft, against trustees of Hands of Hope Children's Cancer Fund, which was
registered as a charity although, in Crown Counsel's words, it was not in
fact a charity at all; notes that several local authorities and retail groups
had allowed Hands of Hope to collect, which was not surprising if they
followed the Charity Commission's customary advice, including that issued on
12th December 2000 which said that in judging collections people should look
out for a registered number and good identification, both of which Hands of
Hope could display; welcomes the support already shown by licensing
authorities and retail managers for the Charity Check system, which, when
anyone enquired about Hands of Hope, advised that it should not be allowed to
collect; and urges the Government now to back the continuing spread of the
Charity Check system, which has been commended by several eminent
organisations, among them the Company of Management Consultants which wrote
that ‘for the present and probably the foreseeable future the Charity
Check solution is the only one that can be implemented to stem the tide of
criminal activity in collecting cash from the public'.
Top of page
------------------------------------------------------------------
(4) THE TEXT OF EARLY DAY MOTION 44 of 2000/01
COMBATING FRAUDULENT CHARITY COLLECTIONS
Tabled by Adrian Sanders MP on 6/12/2000
That this House believes that urgent action is needed to deal with fraudulent
charity collections, that the existing law does not prevent the registration
of crooked charities, and that the official advice on how to prevent
fraudulent collections on private premises is ineffective; notes that the
Dundee Report to the Scottish Executive, published in June 2000, contains
many essential lessons for the better administration of charitable
collections outwith as well as inside Scotland, including its warning to
owners of premises against the common reliance on a charity number and headed
notepaper when considering whether a proposed collection is in order, its
finding that charities commonly refuse to help police with their enquiries,
and its suggestion that charities cannot be relied on to police themselves;
further notes [that] the many signs of support for the Charity Check system,
including a Written Statement of Opinion in the National Assembly for Wales
signed by a majority of backbenchers, a motion passed unanimously by the
London Assembly, welcoming the support already shown for the Charity Check
system by licensing authorities and retail managers, endorsements from many
eminent institutions, including the British Retail Consortium, the Guild of
Management Consultants, the London Voluntary Service Council and the
continued use of the system by some leading retailers which has prevented
many fraudulent collections, and calls on Her Majesty's Government to
investigate a non-legislative solution along the lines of the Charity Check
system to reduce fraudulent charity collections.
Top of page
------------------------------------------------------------------
(5) THE TEXT OF EARLY DAY MOTION 17 of 1998/99 (which was signed
by 141 MPs) Tabled by Adrian
Sanders MP
That this House notes the statement made by the Committee of Public Accounts,
in the introduction to the report issued on 2nd April 1998, that the Charity
Commission has shown 'a lack of management grip', and the Committee's
accompanying statement that there was no evidence for the Charity
Commission's view that abuse and maladministration are a minor problem in the
world of charities; congratulates the Greater Mancheser Police on the recent
successful prosecution of charity collection crooks; welcomes the interest of
the Charity Check system to combat charity collection fraud; notes the view
of Somerfield Stores Ltd in Febuary 1997 that, without that system,
Somerfield might have had to cancel all charity collections on its premises;
welcomes the new Charity Check facility allowing the results of all
off-street collections to be published on the website; and recommends the
managements of all premises where charity collections take place to adopt the
practice of insisting beforehand on the presence of a recommendation, from a
first-class source, on each relevant charity whose work is not already known
to those managements, whether it has registered charity status or not, along
the lines of the well-established Charity Check system.
Top of page
------------------------------------------------------------------
(6) THE TEXT OF EARLY DAY MOTION 636 of 1997/98 (which was signed by
192 MPs) Tabled by Adrian Sanders
MP
STATUS OF CHARITIES
That this House notes the statement on page 43 of The Times of 1st December
1997 that 'Surprisingly, the law does not prevent any competent crook from
registering or acquiring registered charities'; calls on Her Majesty's
Government to encourage all those with power to allow charity collections on
their premises, especially the managements of supermarkets and stations, to
adopt the practice of insisting beforehand on the presence of a
recommendation, from a first-class source, on each relevant charity whose
work is not already known to those managements - along the lines of the
well-established Charity Check system referred to in the same article; and
further calls on Her Majesty's Government to consider urgently the reform of
the Charities Act 1992, Part III, so that the current legal framework can be
up-dated as soon as possible to help prevent money going astray that should
instead go to genuine charities.
Top of page
|
