I noticed a little exchange in the Commons, which betokens a
major potential headache for service delivery charities and social enterprises.
I have written to Justice Minister Simon Hughes MP, urging
Ministers not to place undue and unfair burdens on charities with reforms to
Freedom of Information (FOI).
A little unnoticed (apart from sharp eyed me!) statement
made by the Justice Minister in the House on Tuesday, said that the FOI code of practice would be
changed to bring contractors with the public sector under freedom of
information regulations.
While welcoming greater transparency in public service contracting,
charities operating in the public interest are already subjected to greater
public scrutiny than private firms through the Charity Commission.
I want assurances from the Minister that this must not be
the start of a slippery slope towards piling another layer of bureaucracy
on charities and social enterprises. We need to be fully consulted in the event
of any changes to the FOI code of practice.
Charities and social enterprises are already regulated by
the Charity Commission to ensure openness and transparency. Subjecting
them to Freedom of Information red tape on top of everything else would raise
prohibitive costs and shut out many important community organisations from
delivering public services.
Following the Lobbying Act, charities already have an
additional layer of regulation through the electoral commission. Now, in
the course of regulating private firms, the Government must not add a
triple-lock on the missions of charities and social enterprises.
What we need is more support in delivering community focused
public services, not another obstacle in our way. This is ill thought through
and wrong. We must oppose it. Frankly, it's a disgrace that no one bothered to
mention this to anyone in our sector. You can imagine my tart remarks to our
civil society Minister!
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