Charities Bill for Northern Ireland Introduced

The Bill which replaces the draft Charities (NI) Order 2007 (which was originally intended to be enacted earlier this year in Westminster) will:

• provide statutory definitions of 'charity' and 'charitable purpose'
• establish a Charity Commission for Northern Ireland and a Charity Tribunal
• create a Register of Charities for Northern Ireland
• introduce the Charitable Incorporated Organisation (a new form of charitable body)
• set out new rules with regard to fundraising and collections

Submit evidence to the Assembly Committee

The Charities Bill is now moving through the Committee Stage of the legislative process of the Assembly , which will hear oral evidence from interested parties, including NICVA. Any organisation or individual with an interest is invited to submit written evidence to the Committee via email (in MS Word format ) by Tuesday, 5 February 2008.