Debate contribution: Charities (Amendment) Bill: Second Stage

Debate contribution by Mr Gordon Lyons on 23 June 2026.

MLA: Mr Gordon Lyons
Party at the time: Democratic Unionist Party
Date: 23 June 2026
Type: Debate contribution (made as a minister)
Business: Executive Committee Business
Heading: Charities (Amendment) Bill: Second Stage
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5636751

Text

I beg to move
Thank you, Mr Speaker. Charities are vital to our communities. They provide essential support, strengthen social bonds and enrich daily life for thousands of people across Northern Ireland. Throughout periods of uncertainty and challenge, the community and voluntary sector has stepped forward consistently and compassionately to support those who are most in need. Across the Chamber, many of us will have direct experience of that contribution, be it through volunteering, governance or simply witnessing the difference that charities make to people's lives. Many more of us and those whom we represent are beneficiaries of their work, be it support for health, children and young people, animal welfare, sport, human rights, environmental protection or much more. That reach is profound, but so too is the responsibility that we carry to ensure that the environment in which charities operate enables them to thrive. Public trust and confidence are essential to that. Without that public trust and confidence, charitable giving is reduced, participation declines and the sector's ability to deliver vital services is undermined.
The Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 established the foundations for that confidence. It created the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland as the independent regulator, set out a registration framework and provided powers to protect charitable assets and ensure accountability. As with any legislative framework, however, it must evolve in order to remain effective. The Bill is about ensuring that our regulatory system is robust, proportionate and fit for purpose in a modern context. It takes forward key recommendations from the independent review of charity regulation, the report of which was published in January 2022 and identified a number of areas in which the legislation could be strengthened, clarified and modernised. The Bill will implement a focused package of its recommendations, alongside addressing practical issues that have arisen in operation. At its core, the Bill has three clear aims. The first is to strengthen the Charity Commission's regulatory powers to ensure that it can act effectively and proportionately where concerns arise. The second is to enable the simplification and modernisation of accounting and reporting requirements, particularly for smaller charities. The third is to provide clarity in areas of legislative uncertainty, including on the position of organisations that operate across jurisdictions. In doing so, the Bill reflects the broader principle that regulations should support and protect the public interest without placing unnecessary burdens on the sector. Charities, particularly smaller, volunteer-led organisations, often operate with limited administrative capacity. Where we can simplify requirements without compromising transparency or accountability, it is right that we do so. That will allow organisations to focus their time, energy and resources on what matters most: delivering services and supporting communities. The measures in the Bill are therefore practical and targeted. They will enhance the Charity Commission's ability to share information and intervene appropriately, including through proportionate tools such as official warnings. The measures close gaps that currently allow individuals to evade accountability, and they strengthen protections for charities and their beneficiaries. They also introduce greater flexibility in financial reporting, allowing requirements to be tailored more appropriately, reducing burdens on smaller organisations and ensuring that the system can adapt over time through secondary legislation. Finally, the Bill removes provisions that have been found to be unworkable, providing clarity and certainty for organisations that are operating across borders and avoiding unnecessary duplication of regulation. This is a modest Bill in size, but a significant one in impact. It will reinforce public trust, modernise our regulatory framework and support a vibrant, confident and effective charity sector — a sector that will continue to deliver enormous social value across Northern Ireland. The Bill is something that we should all support, and I commend it to the Assembly.

620 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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