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Briefing: the draft Charities Bill
The Charities Bill was announced in the Queen's Speech in November 2003, after public consultation on the need and form of charity law and regulation reform in 2002.
A Draft Bill was published in May for scrutiny by a joint parliamentary committee chaired by Alan Milburn MP.
The Bill seeks to update old and unhelpful legislation, in order to create a legal framework that supports the modern charity sector and helps maintain and enhance public confidence in charities.
Unfortunately the General Election was called before the Bill completed its Parliamentary passage. We would like to see the Bill being re-introduced soon into the next Parliamentary term.
What we think about the Bill
Cancer Research UK is broadly supportive of the Draft Charities Bill, which would tighten regulations around transparency and accountability in the voluntary sector.
We submitted written evidence to the Bill Committee. The charity, along with the rest of the voluntary sector, wants to see the Charities Bill implemented as legislation soon.
We believe that the Government has made important progress in proposing changes to outdated laws and unhelpful systems and practices across the charity sector, and we urge the Government to give high priority to implementing these reforms.
You can download our response in the Consultations section of this website.
A Charities Bill for Scotland
Equivalent legislation is also being developed in Scotland, and we have also submitted evidence to the Scottish Executive on their proposals for a Bill. We have a separate briefing on the Scottish Charities Bill.
