While there is still considerable work to be undertaken in order to make regulations and guidelines clear for all parties involved, the IoF believes that the Government has listened to the views of the sector, and has welcomed the resolution of the dispute over face-to-face licensing.

Watt said: "The Bill means that all forms of collective activity are effectively subject to the same kind of control and licensing process. To have finally rationalised the position of face-to-face means that one no longer has to devote any energy to arguing the merits or demerits of it being licensed."

As well as the new licensing scheme, the draft Bill also proposes changes to accounting practices and reserve powers to introduce the regulation of fundraising if a self-regulatory scheme does not work. Lindsay Boswell, CEO of the IoF said that the proposals for a self-regulatory scheme that have been discussed in recent months sit alongside the measures announced in the Bill: "It is important that the fundraising sector ensures that such a scheme is successfully implemented to prevent the Home Secretary from implementing legislation in this area in the future."