Charities Bill [HL]

I must confess that I have two minds about the amendment. I hear what the noble Lord, Lord Borrie, says, and there is much force in it. On the other hand, the noble Lord, Lord Hodgson, made a good point when, looking at new Section 1C—““The Commission’s general functions””—he pointed out that it is a pretty arid list, especially when you realise that Clause 6 concerns the giving of advice not to the sector as a whole but to any Minister of the Crown. If we take the objectives and the general functions together, I wonder whether it does not add up to too dry and regulatory a menu, especially as the commission is proud of its dual function of regulator and friend of the charity sector. I shall be interested to hear what the Minister says in response, because we have another opportunity to consider this point at the next stage.