Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Charities Commissioner to ensure that charities are do not go into administration as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

DCMS and the Charity Commission are proactively engaging across the sector to maintain a complete picture of the impact of coronavirus, and working to identify the additional support charities require through this time of financial instability. The Government announced an unprecedented £750million package to ensure VCSE organisations can continue their vital work during the covid-19 outbreak.

The Charity Commission is ensuring its approach to regulation during the Covid-19 crisis is as flexible and pragmatic as possible in the public interest. In line with this approach, the Charity Commission has published guidance for charities which covers a range of topics such as the use of reserves to manage financial difficulties and extensions to account filing deadlines. The guidance is available on the Gov.uk and is being updated regularly: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-the-charity-sector

The Government has also introduced the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill which will relieve the burden on businesses, including charities, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The Bill will introduce temporary easements on company filing requirements and Annual General Meetings (AGMs), introduce new corporate restructuring tools, and temporarily suspend parts of insolvency law, allowing businesses, including charities to focus all their efforts on continuing to operate.