Memorandum from the Peoples Dispensary
for Sick Animals (PDSA) (DCH 96)
I am pleased to enclose the PDSA submission
to the Joint Committee on The Draft Charities Bill. PDSA welcomes
the updating of laws governing charities and supports the intention
to improve the regulation of the charitable and wider not-for-profit
sector.
In particular, PDSA welcomes the addition of
"the advancement of animal welfare" to the list of purposes
of charity and thanks those who have responded to our concerns
in this regard.
For PDSA the challenge remains to extend existing
charitable services to all those in need of its help, without
compromising the volume and quality of the services offered to
existing clients. However, just to stand still, PDSA, like many
other national charities, faces a funding dilemma. Participation
in charitable giving is known to be in decline and the proliferation
of charities means greater competition for donors. The control
of costs therefore is paramount and PDSA is concerned by any increased
regulation that results in additional bureaucracy and therefore
higher administrative costs, without any proportionate benefit
to public trust and confidence.
As a charity with 177 shops, PDSA endorses the
response of the Association of Charity Shops. In particular, it
shares concerns about the specific notification requirements set
out in section 66 C(2) of the draft Bill requiring notification
of the precise day or dates and locations of each collection to
local authorities at least 14 days and no more than 6 months in
advance. The adverse impact of such detailed regulation would
be significant for charitable retailing and would result not only
in reduced charitable service provision but also in reduced opportunities
for poor people to purchase goods at low prices from charity shops.
Should you wish to further discuss any aspects
of the PDSA response I would be extremely happy to do so. I would
also welcome the opportunity for PDSA to continue to be involved
in the process by which these proposals are enacted into legislation.
Thank you for your consideration of our concerns.
Marilyn Rydström
Director General
June 2004
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