Legislation to boost the powers of the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) to boost transparency in the sector and publish further details of charities finances have been introduced into the Scottish Parliament.
The Charities (Regulation and Administration) Bill will enable the OSCR to publish annual accounts for all charities in Scotland.
It will also be able to name all charity trustees in the Scottish Charity Register and remove charities that fail to provide their accounts and do not respond to the regulator.
In addition, the Bill gives the OSCR powers to create a publicly searchable record of charity trustees who have been removed from the register.
The regulator would also be handed new powers to issue directions to a charity, such as managing a conflict of interest where it is a risk.
OSCR chair Marieke Dwarshuis has welcomed the proposals.
“I’m pleased to see this Bill start its progress through the Scottish Parliament,” she said.
Our Chair Marieke Dwarshuis has welcomed the proposals published in the new Charities Bill today. Read more 👉 https://t.co/SrOrVgBdvp pic.twitter.com/DNrttP5GJO
— OSCR (@ScotCharityReg) November 16, 2022
“This legislation will enable OSCR to increase public trust in Scotland’s 25,000 charities by increasing transparency around their management and the activities they carry out. It would also enable us to take more effective action against the very small minority of charities who don’t follow the rules.
"I look forward to working with both the Scottish Government and our Parliament to ensure the Bill meets the needs of the people of Scotland and enables OSCR to regulate even more effectively."
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