The incorrect publication of an old email address could have led to messages intended for the Charity Commission being “misdirected”, the regulator has said.
Helen Stephenson, chief executive of the Commission, has written to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee to “respond to a number of issues raised in the pre-appointment hearing for the Charity Commission chair”.
One of the concerns MPs had raised last year was that the Commission did not respond to enquiries from MPs quickly enough, and Stephenson explained that some messages could have been sent to an old email inbox, which is now being monitored again.
Last December Martin Thomas promised MPs he would come back to them with answers to a number of points, however he resigned from the post before he could do so.
“In the absence of a new chair to respond, I wanted to take this opportunity to address some of the specific concerns raised by Committee members at the pre-appointment hearing in December,” Stephenson wrote.
Responding to MP concerns about charities
In December MPs had also expressed frustration about how long it takes the Commission to respond to concerns.
“I was concerned that there was some criticism from the committee regarding the way in which the Commission responds to members of the House of Commons,” Stephenson said.
She defended the Commission’s record said Cabinet Office data shows that the regulator responded to over 90% of queries from parliamentarians within the 20-day target set by the Cabinet Office.
However, she said that some emails may not have reached the regulator due to a mix up over email addresses.
“I am aware an inactive Commission email address was incorrectly published on the ‘List of Ministerial Responsibilities’ website and that this may have resulted in some communications being misdirected, something I was very concerned to learn about,” she explained.
“The inactive address is now being monitored and I am assured by DCMS that the incorrect email address will be removed in future editions of the departmental contact page.”
Stephenson also invited parliamentarians to contact her directly if they are concerned about their correspondence.
Concerns about registration
Last year SNP MP John Nicolson raised concerns about the LGB Alliance, and said “the system is wrong” if organisations can get charity status, despite a record of poor behaviour.
In her letter Stephenson emphasised that the Commission is legally required to register organisations based on their purposes.
“It is not the Commission’s position to make value judgements about the aims or ideas put forward by any organisation, indeed it would be very dangerous territory if it did. If an organisation meets the legal test, it has to be entered on the charity register,” she said.
Stephenson added that last year there were 8,354 applications and that 60% led to a successful registration, “demonstrating that our processes involve robust scrutiny”.
The decision to register the LGB Alliance is subject to a legal challenge.
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