Summary
The Department is consulting on proposals for Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations (“the Regulations”) which will make provision for accounting and reporting by charities within the framework provided by the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 (“the Act”).
The Regulations will apply to all charities registered in Northern Ireland.
Documents
- Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 consultation response document
- Accounting and reporting by charities consultation document
- Draft Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015
- Regulatory Impact Assessment for Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations
- Regulatory impact assessment for charities’ accounts independent examination and audit thresholds
- Information seminar on consultation on charities regulations: presentation
Consultation description
Charity trustees will have a duty, under Part 8 of the Act, to:
- keep accounting records;
- prepare a statement of accounts for each financial year of the charity;
- have the accounts independently examined or audited;
- make annual reports on the activities of the charity and about the charity.
The consultation is particularly aimed at:
- charities;
- charity trustees;
- funders and other users of charity accounts;
- charity sector umbrella bodies;
- charities’ auditors, independent examiners and other professional advisers involved in preparing or scrutinising charity accounts and reports.
The consultation seeks views on proposals to make Regulations, which would apply to financial years starting on or after 1 January 2016, and which will provide for:
- the preparation and scrutiny of accounts prepared by charities and the preparation of annual reports by charities;
- the preparation and scrutiny of group accounts and the preparation of group annual reports by parent charities.
The Department is also consulting on the thresholds which determine the level of scrutiny of charities’ accounts to ensure these are set at the right amounts.
Please use the online questionnaire to respond. This is the preferred method and for most people it will be the quickest and easiest way to respond. Alternatively, if you intend to respond by e-mail or post, please contact the Charities Team who will provide a form for this purpose.
To assist those wishing to respond to the consultation, the Department recently held an information seminar in collaboration with NICVA. You may find the presentation on the draft regulations which was given at this event useful.
Ways to respond
Consultation closed — responses are no longer being accepted.