Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Think-tanks: Charitable Status

Thursday 9 March 2023 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Think-tanks with charitable status in England and Wales must comply with charity law and meet the Charity Commission's reporting requirements.
  • Some think-tanks are praised for their transparency in disclosing funding sources.
  • The Minister directed Peter Grant to raise specific concerns about individual charities with the Charity Commission.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Peter Grant SNP
Standards & Ethics
Context

The issue involves potential conflicts regarding transparency, accountability and effective regulation of think-tanks that have charitable status.

Question

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Charity Commission on the potential impact of the charitable status of some think-tanks on the transparency, accountability and effective regulation of those bodies.

Answer from Stuart Andrew

Think-tanks in England and Wales that have charitable status must ensure that they abide by the same rules that apply to all charities under charity law. That includes meeting the Charity Commission's reporting requirements, and in so doing, demonstrating transparency and accountability to the public.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific discussions with the Charity Commission were not addressed, only a general statement on compliance was provided.

How: General Statement

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Q2 Peter Grant SNP
Climate Standards & Ethics
Context

The issue involves specific concerns about certain think-tanks that refuse to disclose funding sources, engage in anti-climate change research, and are associated with political activities.

Question

A number of think-tank charities do exactly what the Minister has suggested, and they gain plaudits from transparency campaigners for their willingness to be open about who funds them. There are others that refuse to give out any meaningful information. They take millions of pounds from American oil companies, and produce so-called research briefings that deny climate change and encourage Governments to ban legitimate protest against oil and gas development, for example. A lot of them are housed at 55 Tufton Street, and pay their rent to a wealthy donor to the Conservative party. They do not ever educate anybody, which for an education charity might be seen to be a wee bit of a problem. What they are in effect doing is laundering money, by taking money from sources that are, by law, prohibited from funding party political activities in the United Kingdom, and using it to promote politically biased research. When are the Government going to get to grips with that, and recognise that a research institution that does not follow the rules of ethics is not a research institution and is not an educational charity, but a political organisation that should be regulated and taxed on that basis?

Answer from Stuart Andrew

If the hon. Member for Glenrothes (Peter Grant) has a specific concern about an individual charity or organisation, he needs to raise that with the Charity Commission. It is the regulator, and he must take that up with the commission.

Not addressed: The questioner's concerns were not addressed directly; instead, the answerer directed the MP to a different body (Charity Commission).

How: Directing To Another Body

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