CAMPAIGNING RESEARCH PROGRAMME

That this House is deeply concerned by the decision by the Office for the Third Sector to divert £750,000 from the Campaigning Research Programme to top up the Hardship Fund; notes that the Campaigning Research Programme was for organisations with a turnover of less than £150,000 and that the Hardship Fund is for those over £200,000; is alarmed that this decision has been made despite the fact that grants to 32 small charities from the Programme's fund had already been approved, and that it was made without any effort to consult those charities affected or the sector more broadly; is concerned that this runs counter to the terms of the Compact for charities and sets a poor example to other public bodies; and calls on the Government to reinstate the funding for the Programme without delay.