MPs have called for an inquiry to be held into the Charity Commission’s treatment of religious organisations after it refused to grant charitable status to a Plymouth Brethren congregation.
The commission ruled last week that the group in Devon could not be registered as a charity because it failed to show that it exists for some form of ‘public benefit’.
Criticised
The decision was heavily criticised during this week’s Charitable Registration debate at Westminster Hall called by Conservative MP Fiona Bruce and attended by over 40 MPs.
Several called for an inquiry to be held into the Charity Commission, stating that its decision was an obvious case of religious discrimination.
Robert Halfon, Conservative MP for Harlow, commented that the ruling had “put the tax status of hundreds of charities in doubt.”
He added: “I believe an inquiry is needed into the role of the Charity Commission to consider how it came to make the decision and to publish all the emails and correspondence – everything that led to the decision,” he said.
Democratic Unionist MP Ian Paisley Jr urged Nick Hurd, the Minister for Civil Society, to ensure that the commission’s decision was overturned.
Bureaucratic bullying
He added: “The house is standing up for the little fellow as he looks down the barrel of the gun of the big fellow who is nothing more than a bureaucratic bully with his views on religious faith," he said.
“Will the Roman Catholic Church face being bullied and browbeaten by the Charity Commission? I hope not.
“I also hope that the minister is listening, because this is the thin end of the wedge. He must take a stand, and do so now”.
The Plymouth Brethren have lodged an appeal to the charity tribunal against the decision.
See previous story: Christianity not necessarily for public good, says Charity Commission >
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