The House of Lords is likely to see the establishment of a new committee dedicated to improving the charity sector, after proposals were put forward by the House of Lords Liaison Committee earlier this week.

Lord Shinkwin, a Conservative peer, proposed the creation of an ad hoc committee on strengthening the charity sector to “explore how the charity sector could be strengthened through the development, dissemination and application of best practice, of mechanisms and of procedures for improving transparency and accountability”.

The Liaison Committee suggested that the new committee could include the following in its remit:

• What examples are there of best practice in the sector in terms of transparency and accountability and how might these be expanded across the sector?
• What should be the role of the Charity Commission in promoting trust in the sector? Has its regulatory role detracted from the more supportive elements of its work with charities?
• Fiduciary duties of trustees;
• What has been the impact of recent legislation such as the implementation of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014?
• What lessons can be learnt from the recent controversies, and how might such problems be avoided in the future?
• What lessons can be learnt from the experiences of the devolved administrations?
• How can charities address the decline in public trust?