MSPs have called for a watchdog

A judge ordered that Breast Cancer Research (Scotland) should be banned from representing itself as a charity after it emerged that only a small amount of the money it received went towards good causes.

The Scottish National Party and Scottish Tories said ministers have so far failed to appoint a regulator to prevent such cases.

At the Court of Session on Friday, Lord Drummond Young ordered action against BCRS after he heard that only �1.5m of the �13.2m it raised went to good causes.

I think the only surprise was that we haven't had very many other cases like this Tricia Marwick, SNP MSP

The judge also suspended the charity's trustees and ordered that its professional fundraiser, Tony Freeman, should not be involved in the management or control of the charity.

SNP MSP Tricia Marwick said it was only surprising that there have not been more cases like that of BCRS.

She said: "It was a disaster that was waiting to happen.

"I think anybody who is involved in the charitable section in Scotland would not have been at all surprised.

"The only surprise was that we haven't had very many other cases like this."

Tory MSP Bill Aitken said: "The executive received a report from the McFadden Committee some two-and-a-half years ago with regard to this.

"I would like to know where it's been since then.

"It's all very well closing the stable door after the horse has bolted but the fact of the matter is that if they (ministers) were intending to legislate it should have been on the statute book long before this and perhaps some of the recent unfortunate events would not have happened."