Consultation for registration threshold for charities in Northern Ireland

Overview

The Department for Communities is consulting on a registration threshold below which charities in Northern Ireland would not be required to register with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (the Commission) or provide an annual report and accounts for publication on its website. The consultation will also take views on the resultant regulatory framework for those charities falling below the threshold and choosing not to register.

Whether you are a charity trustee, a member of a charity, a charity volunteer or a member of the public that supports or benefits from charities, we want to hear your views on this important issue. We are also interested in hearing the views of legal advisors, independent examiners, funders and other regulators or bodies that interact with the Commission. 

Consultation Description 

The register of charities provides public visibility for charities and provides a level of confidence that a charity is well run and attuned to its statutory responsibilities. The Independent Review of Charity Regulation (the Review), published in January 2022, recommended that all charities in Northern Ireland should continue to be required to register in accordance with the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 (the 2008 Act).

Representatives of the charity sector have long called for a registration threshold below which charities would not be required to register or provide an annual report and accounts to the Charity Commission. They consider the value of registration and annual reporting to very small charities to be debatable.

The Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (the 2022 Act) provides for a registration threshold to be introduced via regulations made in the Assembly.

The consultation is designed to explore how a threshold could operate and the shape of the regulatory framework for those charities falling below the threshold and choosing not to register. 

It is recommended that you read the consultation document before completing this survey.

The questionnaire should not take more than 30 minutes to complete.

Why your views matter

Your responses to this consultation will make an important contribution to the Department’s work. The results of this consultation will assist in developing policy and drafting regulations for the introduction of a threshold that will reduce the administrative burden for the smallest charities, whilst maintaining a framework of charity regulation that can command public trust and confidence.