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Charities Bill [HL]

Before the Minister sits down, he said that the Attorney-General might be drawn into the proceedings. Am I right in thinking that the Attorney-General would have to act on behalf of the Charity Commission and would not necessarily act on behalf of the charity? He also said that the Attorney-General would bear part of the charity’s costs if he was able to act on behalf of the charity. A very small charity may still not be able to cover the cost of legal proceedings, or even a small proportion of them. A large number of small charities working on small incomes with little or no capital at all could be wiped out completely by having to pay their own costs or a proportion of their costs in court. The Minister really ought to think again on the question of a suitor’s fund. It may never be needed, in which case it will cost absolutely nothing.