# Charities Bill included in Queen's speech

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2004/11/23/charities-bill-included-queen039s-speech/
- Published: 2004-11-23T00:00:00+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

The Charities Bill has been included in the Queen’s speech to Parliament. This long-
awaited opportunity to reform charity law has been widely welcomed by sector organisations.

Introducing this parliament’s programme of legislation, the Queen said: “My Government
believes that the voluntary sector is a great strength of this country. Charity 
law will be modernised so that a vibrant, diverse and independent charitable sector
can continue to flourish with public confidence.”

 

 

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Her speech also included details of legislation on the distribution of lottery money
and the statutory framework for the Big Lottery Fund.

 

 

NCVO chief executive Stuart Etherington welcomed the announcement: “NCVO looks forward
to a new Charities Act by 2005 that will clarify what it means to be a charitable
organisation and will clearly define the role of the sector’s regulator,” he said.

 

 

Simon Hebditch, Executive Director External Affairs at Charities Aid Foundation (
CAF), said: “CAF is glad that the Government has committed itself to modernising
charity law in the next session of Parliament. It is high time that many activities
should be recognised as charitable – the promotion of human rights being a prime
example.”

 

 

He added: “The Government is expecting charities themselves to create a robust self-
regulation system for dealing with complaints about some fundraising techniques 
and methods so that it doesn’t have to impose new rules itself. CAF applauds that
approach and is currently chairing a group drawing up proposals to establish new
complaints machinery for donors.”

 

 

Shirley Scott, chief executive of Charity Finance Directors Group, said: “We are
pleased that the Government have recognised the huge importance of charities, and
the need for regulatory reform, by announcing the Bill in the Queen’s speech.”

 

 

The Institute of Fundraising’s Chief Executive Lindsay Boswell said the sector would
breathe a “sigh of relief” now that the bill has been included.

 

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