PUBLIC FUNDRAISING REGULATORY ASSOCIATION AND CHARITY COLLECTIONS

Early day motion 516, tabled 17 January 2005 by Adrian Sanders (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 20 members.

That this House urges caution in dealing with the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association (PFRA) on the part of all those in local authorities, town centre management and retail groups with authority to allow direct debit collections for charity, because in spite of its name, PFRA does not operate any serious regulatory standards on the way its member bodies run such collections; notes that its main functions appear to be to promote bookings for direct debit collections by its member bodies, and to do general lobbying, further notes that its voluntary code of conduct is at variance with, and falls far short of, the good practice recommended by the Home Office in its Statement of Guidance issued in November 2003 on the declaration of fundraisers' expenses in collections; and regrets the false impression that has been widely spread that PFRA is a public authority, because its name has often been incorrectly shown as an authority rather than an association.

Signatures by party: Liberal Democrat 13, Labour 6, DUP 1.