Charities Bill [HL]

My Lords, I thank the Minister for his response and also the noble Lord, Lord Phillips of Sudbury, for his helpful intervention. He said that he sympathised with the objectives and I am sure that most people do. I gave an instance of one case with which I had personally been involved, where I had spoken on a brief for a charity that was anxious to change the law in an area where it obviously had an interest: Save the Children was interested in the Education Bill and the Government were prepared to accept what I had to say as a result of its campaigning. I was simply seeking to ensure that that kind of lobbying and campaigning was clearly something that a charity could do because it was in line with its objectives. As my noble friend Lord Wedderburn said, I sought to encompass that by referring to,"““A purpose described in subsection (2)””," which would bring it within the public benefit test. If a charity passes the public benefit test, it should be granted in law—in the Bill, which will eventually become an Act—the status to campaign for changes in the law within its own remit. That is all that we sought to do—to ensure that a charity that had a particular area of activity was able to campaign for changes in the law within its own remit. That is all we were after. I am sorry that it has not been possible for the amendment to be accepted. I shall perhaps think of a different wording with which I can return before the Bill finally leaves this House. However, in the mean time, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. [Amendment No. 5 not moved.]