The Scottish Government has this week launched a consultation on changes to charity law in Scotland.
The Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 (the 2005 Act) is the main piece of charity law in Scotland. The changes reflect proposals put forward by OSCR to enhance public trust and confidence in the charity sector by:
- increasing transparency and accountability
- providing OSCR with greater enforcement powers
- streamlining operations and increasing efficiency.
The consultation runs from 7 January until 1 April 2019. OSCR will be issuing more information about the proposals in the next few weeks, including a summary of the changes requested to the law and why.
In her foreward, Communities secretary Aileen Campbell (above) said: “Charities play a vital role in our society, from supporting individuals and communities, to informing policy at a national level, they are key to us achieving our ambition of creating a fairer and more prosperous country.
“It is therefore important that we do all we can to maintain and increase public trust and confidence in the charity sector and making sure legislation supports that. I would encourage anyone with an interest in the charity sector to share their views by responding to this consultation.”
David Robb, OSCR Chief Executive said: “We are delighted that the Scottish Government have launched this consultation. The proposals reflect our experience of working with the 2005 Act over the past 13 years and seek to improve the legislation rather than rewrite it.
“We urge charities and other stakeholders to read the consultation and give your views to government so that the Regulator can continue to work effectively with trustees to underpin public trust and confidence in Scotland’s 24,400 charities.”
The Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) is the independent registrar and regulator of Scotland’s 24,400 charities and publishes the Scottish Charity Register at www.oscr.org.uk.
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