PBS benefits to voluntary organisations

I refer to Robert Musumeci's opinion piece Our Dear Siġġiewi Home (January 12). The Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations had often drawn attention to the fact that to carry out public collections a voluntary organisation must either be enrolled with the commissioner or have a police licence.

Mr Musumeci is right in holding that Id-Dar tal-Providenza was in line with the law when it obtained a police licence to collect funds. But he is wrong in his deduction that "The chairman of PBS is correct to express her tacit consent because this organisation was covered with a police permit".

This is because, as a state entity, the PBS is subject to article 4 of the Voluntary Organisations Act which restricts its discretion in the allotment of benefits to voluntary organisations to enrolled organisations only.

Id-Dar tal-Providenza is not so enrolled. So much is recognised in article 19 of the PBS's own regulations covering TVM fund-raising programmes for philanthropic causes, which, recognising this legal obligation, states that applicants must be registered with the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations.