OSCR welcomes publication of new Charities Bill
The Chair of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) has welcomed the publication of the Charities (Regulation and Administration) Bill in the Scottish Parliament today, Wednesday 16 November.
These new legislative proposals aim to increase transparency and accountability in Scotland’s 25,000 charities, and if enacted, would enhance the current powers of the regulator.
These new powers would enable OSCR to:
- publish annual accounts for every charity
- include the names of all charity trustees in the Scottish Charity Register
- be able to remove charities that fail to provide accounts and don’t respond to OSCR’s communications
- create a publicly searchable record of removed charity trustees
The proposed legislation would also give OSCR new powers to issue positive directions to a charity to take action, such as managing a conflict of interest where we identify a risk to the charity.
Speaking after the publication of the Bill, OSCR Chair Marieke Dwarshuis welcomed the proposals:
"I’m pleased to see this Bill start its progress through the Scottish Parliament. This legislation will enable OSCR to increase public trust in Scotland’s 25,000 charities by increasing transparency around their management and the activities they carry out. It would also enable us to take more effective action against the very small minority of charities who don’t follow the rules.
"I look forward to working with both the Scottish Government and our Parliament to ensure the Bill meets the needs of the people of Scotland and enables OSCR to regulate even more effectively."