Brent Irish Centre And The Charity Commissioners

EDM number 955 in 1994-95, proposed by Ken Livingstone on 03/04/1995.

That this House congratulates the Charity Commissioners whose inquiry into the affairs of the Brent Irish Centre has revealed `the failure of the charity to appoint trustees in accordance with the Governing Document ... Brent Council's audit report stated that there was very little control over the finance ... virtually all bills connected with recent development work were paid by cash in hand. This may have implications for PAYE and VAT ... it has been alleged that when concerts are held ... the majority of the takings are through cash on the door ... it is questionable whether the bulk of this money every reaches the charity's bank account', therefore welcomes the Charity Commissioners' decision to appoint a receiver and a manager to take over the centre and hopes that they will do all in their power to rescue the centre and ensure its survival; and calls on the Chairman of the Conservative Party to hold an open inquiry into the actions of the leader of Brent Council, Councillor Blackman, who agreed to cover up the criminal activities of Mr Mulkere, the centre's manager, and suspend the council's normal checks and safeguards in order to bribe Mr Mulkere with a grant of ú70,000 in exchange for which Mr Mulkere undertook to circulate an illegal election leaflet endorsing the Tories in a key marginal ward; and finally calls on the police to seize the passports of both men as a simple precaution in case they seek to leave.

This motion has been signed by a total of 13 MPs.