Regulator's review of the year

The Scottish Charity Regulator has today [Wednesday 9 January 2013] published its review for 2012, demonstrating how its work reinforces public confidence in Scottish charities and their work.

The Annual Review sets out the Regulator's achievements and its priorities for the coming year and contains key statistics and case studies, with learning points for the charity sector.

The new report also encourages charities to take up the Regulator's new electronic services, launched in June last year.   Currently over half of Scotland's charities are signed up to OSCR Online, allowing them to update their own details and  file their returns and accounts electronically, achieving cost and time savings for themselves and the Regulator alike.

In addition, the Regulator uses the review to reiterate the principles of the charity test, a key aspect of Scots charity law that all charities must meet in order to achieve and maintain charitable status.

Key statistics for 2012 include:

• The Regulator handled 1,231 new applications for charitable status, an increase of 8% on the previous year
• It approved the creation of 161 Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations, a new legal form
• It granted 736 consents for proposed changes to charities, such as a change of name or charitable purpose
• It handled 154 charity reorganisation applications and 324 complaints made against charities
• It removed 674 charities from the Scottish Charity Register, including voluntary removals
• 82% of complaints about potential misconduct in charities were resolved within 9 months, against a target of 75%
• Its new OSCR Online service has 13,341 charities signed up, or 57% of the sector.  Some 6,779 sets of returns and accounts have been filed online since June 2012.

The Scottish Charity Regulator's Chief Executive, David Robb, said that the review provided a summary of a positive year for the organisation, and hoped it would be a useful reference document both for charities and the public.

'Utimately, our work is aimed at reinforcing the public's trust and confidence in charities,' he said.  'Whether it's checking that charities meet the required standard of the charity test or ensuring that they continue to be run properly, our work outlined in this report explains our activity and impact - including our provision of guidance and support to charities in making sure they meet legal requirements.'

Chair Dr Graham Forbes agreed, saying that the Regulator's services allowed charities to respond to change.

'It's clear that the difficult economic position continues to have an impact on charities,' he said.  'But what is encouraging is that charity trustees are seeking to address the challenges they face.  We are seeing an increase in applications from charities to reorganise, amalgamate, or change legal form and this indicates that those running Scotland's charities are responding positively.'

The Regulator has produced a wide range of guidance material designed to inform charities and support them in meeting regulatory requirements,  including the preparation of accounts, charity trustee duties, and meeting the charity test.

The Annual Review also sets out how the Scottish Charity Regulator has actively engaged with the sector and sets out its further priorities for the coming year, including an expanded Outreach Programme of information events, a redesigned website and a programme of regional Meet the Charity Regulator events.

ENDS

Issued by The Scottish Charity Regulator, Quadrant House, 9 Riverside Drive, Dundee DD1 4NY.  For further information contact Mark Simpson or Caroline Monk on 01382 220446 or 07724 150833 or email communications@oscr.org.uk