Charities Bill to be reintroduced

Howard Lake | 16 May 2005 | News

The Charities Bill, which failed to be passed in the last Parliament due to lack of time before the general election, will be reintroduced, according to the Queen’s Speech today.

Addressing Peers and MPs, the Queen said: “legislation will be introduced to modernise charity law, to develop a vibrant, diverse and independent charitable sector.” The Charities Bill to which this refers is one of 45 bills and five draft bills announced for this parliamentary session.

A number of charity sector bodies have welcomed the reintroduction of the Charities Bill, and expressed hope that it is passed promptly.

Geraldine Peacock, Chairman of the Charity Commission, said: “We’re really pleased that this legislation has been given the priority it deserves to help equip all those involved in running and regulating charities to move forward in a changing world.”

Sue Brumpton, Chief Executive of the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association (PFRA), said: “what we hope to see now is the development of sensible legislation for fundraising along with comprehensive ./guidance notes for local authorities, regulators and other partners that will facilitate high quality fundraising while encouraging the public’s trust. We look forward to working closely with the Home office on finalising this ./guidance.”

Andrew Watt, Head of Policy and Deputy Chief Executive of the Institute of Fundraising, said: “We hope that when the Bill is introduced it incorporates the amendments made in the last parliament.

“The Institute calls on Lords and MPs to pass the Bill speedily through its parliamentary stages so that this important bill for the voluntary and community sector receives Royal Assent soon. Now that Parliament had returned, we also call on Government to fund the self-regulation of fundraising scheme as soon as possible.

The latest tabled amendments to the Bill recognise the need for increased transparency around the payment of all fundraisers for public charitable collections.

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.