Suzi Leather
Encyclopedia
Dame Susan Catherine "Suzi" Leather, DBE
DL
(born 5 April 1956
), sometimes known as Susie Leather, has been the chair of the Charity Commission
since 1 August 2006. Previously she was chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
. She was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
in January 2006.
, Tavistock School, and Exeter University where she received a BA
degree with honours in Politics in 1977, followed by a BPhil
degree in social work. She then took an MA
degree in European politics in 1978 from Leicester University.
.
From 2000-02, she was first deputy chair of the Food Standards Agency
. From March 2002-July 2006, she was chair of Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. Joined the board of United Kingdom Accreditation Service in 2006 alongside her colleague Professor Michael Mainelli (a political recommendation from the Downing Street office of then Prime Minister Tony Blair
) to improve their quality standards regulation. From May 2005-July 2006, she was chair of the School Food Trust. She gave up the HFEA and School Food Trust positions for the Charity Commission position. She saw her qualification for that position as coming from her experience as a regulator rather than expertise with charities: “My main contact [with charities] has been through volunteering — I have no experience personally of working for charities. I don’t think I had a very well developed sense of what the Charities Bill was going to do, so I can't describe myself as a charities expert in any sense”, and therefore spent her early months in the post absorbing information about the sector.
accused her of pursuing a "political agenda" on behalf of politicians who lacked the "moral courage" to tackle the issue themselves.
During her tenure at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
, Leather was criticised for stating that a child's absolute need for a father figure was "nonsense". Jack O'Sullivan, of the campaign group Fathers Direct
which campaigns for the rights of fathers, said that "while discrimination against single and lesbian women was wrong, the benefits of a father figure were proven by scientific studies".
The Charities Act (2006)
added to the traditional list of "charitable purposes" for which charities can be established (the prevention or relief of poverty, the advancement of education, the advancement of religion, and so forth) a requirement that their activities should be carried on "for the public benefit"; and it required the Charities Commission to determine how it would be established that the public benefit was being served. In pursuance of this requirement, in 2009 Dame Suzi instigated an investigation into private schools in order to determine whether non-profit education providers should continue to be accorded charitable status automatically. She has stated that she cannot "see why charitable status was always merited". Specifically, it was decided that, while providing education is a charitable purpose, doing so only in exchange for an economic fee does not meet the requirement that the purpose is carried on for public rather than private benefit. A fee-paying school could nonetheless deserve charitable status, for example if it offered bursaries, or provided teaching or coaching children from surrounding schools, or otherwise contributed. As of July 2009, five private schools in the North West of England had been investigated and it was concluded that two of the five gave insufficient benefit to the public and had therefore failed the proposed test. These school would lose their charitable status in a year’s time "unless they gave out more bursaries". It has been claimed that the Commission may have exceeded its powers under the 2006 Charities Act.
" bosses, including Dame Leather's remuneration package of £104,999 a year for a 3 day week as head of the Charity Commission
.
with her husband, Professor Iain Hampsher-Monk, and their three children (one son and two daughters).
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(born 5 April 1956
), sometimes known as Susie Leather, has been the chair of the Charity Commission
Charity Commission
The Charity Commission for England and Wales is the non-ministerial government department that regulates registered charities in England and Wales....
since 1 August 2006. Previously she was chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is a statutory body in the United Kingdom that regulates and inspects all UK clinics providing in vitro fertilisation, artificial insemination and the storage of human eggs, sperm or embryos. It also regulates Human Embryo research...
. She was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in January 2006.
Education
She was educated at St Mary's, CalneSt Mary's School (Calne)
St Mary's Calne, is an academically selective independent school at Calne, Wiltshire, for girls aged eleven to eighteen, with about 320 on roll. Most girls are boarders...
, Tavistock School, and Exeter University where she received a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree with honours in Politics in 1977, followed by a BPhil
Bachelor of Philosophy
Bachelor of Philosophy is the title of an academic degree. The degree usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects...
degree in social work. She then took an MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in European politics in 1978 from Leicester University.
Career
From 1979-84, she was a senior research officer for Consumers in Europe. From 1984-86 she was a trainee probation officer. From 1988-97 she was a freelance consumer consultant. From 1997-2001, she was chair of Exeter and District NHS trustNHS Trust
A National Health Service trust provides services on behalf of the National Health Service in England and NHS Wales.The trusts are not trusts in the legal sense but are in effect public sector corporations. Each trust is headed by a board consisting of executive and non-executive directors, and is...
.
From 2000-02, she was first deputy chair of the Food Standards Agency
Food Standards Agency
The Food Standards Agency is a non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for protecting public health in relation to food throughout the United Kingdom and is led by a board appointed to act in the public interest...
. From March 2002-July 2006, she was chair of Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. Joined the board of United Kingdom Accreditation Service in 2006 alongside her colleague Professor Michael Mainelli (a political recommendation from the Downing Street office of then Prime Minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
) to improve their quality standards regulation. From May 2005-July 2006, she was chair of the School Food Trust. She gave up the HFEA and School Food Trust positions for the Charity Commission position. She saw her qualification for that position as coming from her experience as a regulator rather than expertise with charities: “My main contact [with charities] has been through volunteering — I have no experience personally of working for charities. I don’t think I had a very well developed sense of what the Charities Bill was going to do, so I can't describe myself as a charities expert in any sense”, and therefore spent her early months in the post absorbing information about the sector.
Controversies
Suzi Leather’s public appointments, none of which were elected posts, have led some right-wing commentators to question the motives of those who appoint her. The Adam Smith InstituteAdam Smith Institute
The Adam Smith Institute, abbreviated to ASI, is a think tank based in the United Kingdom, named after one of the founders of modern economics, Adam Smith. It espouses free market and classical liberal views, in particular by creating radical policy options in the light of public choice theory,...
accused her of pursuing a "political agenda" on behalf of politicians who lacked the "moral courage" to tackle the issue themselves.
During her tenure at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is a statutory body in the United Kingdom that regulates and inspects all UK clinics providing in vitro fertilisation, artificial insemination and the storage of human eggs, sperm or embryos. It also regulates Human Embryo research...
, Leather was criticised for stating that a child's absolute need for a father figure was "nonsense". Jack O'Sullivan, of the campaign group Fathers Direct
Fathers Direct
The Fatherhood Institute is the UK's national fatherhood think tank. It a charity is part funded by its own income and part government-sponsored founded in 1999 as Fathers Direct by professionals with expertise in social work, family policy, business development and communications.David...
which campaigns for the rights of fathers, said that "while discrimination against single and lesbian women was wrong, the benefits of a father figure were proven by scientific studies".
The Charities Act (2006)
Charities Act 2006
The Charities Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom intended to alter the regulatory framework in which charities operate, partly by amending the Charities Act 1993.-Provisions:...
added to the traditional list of "charitable purposes" for which charities can be established (the prevention or relief of poverty, the advancement of education, the advancement of religion, and so forth) a requirement that their activities should be carried on "for the public benefit"; and it required the Charities Commission to determine how it would be established that the public benefit was being served. In pursuance of this requirement, in 2009 Dame Suzi instigated an investigation into private schools in order to determine whether non-profit education providers should continue to be accorded charitable status automatically. She has stated that she cannot "see why charitable status was always merited". Specifically, it was decided that, while providing education is a charitable purpose, doing so only in exchange for an economic fee does not meet the requirement that the purpose is carried on for public rather than private benefit. A fee-paying school could nonetheless deserve charitable status, for example if it offered bursaries, or provided teaching or coaching children from surrounding schools, or otherwise contributed. As of July 2009, five private schools in the North West of England had been investigated and it was concluded that two of the five gave insufficient benefit to the public and had therefore failed the proposed test. These school would lose their charitable status in a year’s time "unless they gave out more bursaries". It has been claimed that the Commission may have exceeded its powers under the 2006 Charities Act.
Public Sector Salary
In 2010 a list released by the Cabinet Office in a drive for greater transparency in public life revealed the salaries of 156 "quangoQuango
Quango or qango is an acronym used notably in the United Kingdom, Ireland and elsewhere to label an organisation to which government has devolved power...
" bosses, including Dame Leather's remuneration package of £104,999 a year for a 3 day week as head of the Charity Commission
Charity Commission
The Charity Commission for England and Wales is the non-ministerial government department that regulates registered charities in England and Wales....
.
Family
Ms. Leather lives in ExeterExeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
with her husband, Professor Iain Hampsher-Monk, and their three children (one son and two daughters).
External links
- The Commissioners and Executive Directors (Charity Commission)
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1568137/Quango-queen-takes-on-the-public-schools.html"Quango queen takes on the public schools" (The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
)] - Suzi Leather's bio at The Times Online