Baroness Crawley, a Government spokeswoman for the Cabinet Office, told the House of Lords on Wednesday that the Government might introduce measures to force charities to improve their use direct mail in 2011 if "objectionable" practices are not stamped out.
The minister was responding to a question from Conservative peer Baroness Trumpington, who asked whether it would be legal for her to send coins through the post attached to a begging letter.
Baroness Trumpington asked why, if the government has the power to stop this objectionable practice, it wasn’t doing so.
In response, Baroness Crawley said the Charities Act 2006 included a reserve power for government to intervene against poor direct mail practices, such as sending coins in the post.
She warned that "the clock is ticking for self-regulation" and said the Government might intervene in 2011, when its funding for the Fundraising Standards Board is due to expire.
"Not enough charities are yet demonstrating best practice through becoming members of the Fundraising Standards Board, and if the Government has to bring in a reserve power in 2011, we may well do that," she said.
Crawley told the House of Lords: "The practice of sending gifts or coins through the post is supposed to get a guilt response from people. It is a very annoying and frustrating way of going about building up a good name, as well as funds, for a charity.
"The Charity Commission, the Institute of Fundraising and the Fundraising Standards Board are all against it."
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