Debate contribution: Charities (Amendment) Bill: Extension of Committee Stage

Debate contribution by Mr Colm Gildernew on 7 September 2026.

MLA: Mr Colm Gildernew
Party at the time: Sinn Féin
Date: 7 September 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Committee Business
Heading: Charities (Amendment) Bill: Extension of Committee Stage
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5670356

Text

Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle.
As Chair of the Committee for Communities, I seek the support of the House for the motion to extend the Committee Stage of the Charities (Amendment) Bill until 11 December 2026.
The Bill was introduced on 15 June and completed its Second Stage on 23 June, when it was referred to the Committee for Communities. At Second Stage, I indicated that the Committee welcomed the broad policy intent of the Bill but had yet to undertake its formal evidence-taking, stakeholder engagement or detailed scrutiny. I also made it clear that the Committee would want to examine carefully whether the legislation was proportionate, workable and sufficiently clear. The issues that the Bill addresses are significant. It takes forward 18 recommendations arising from the independent review of charity regulation in 2022. Broadly, it seeks to strengthen the regulatory powers of the Charity Commission here, streamline accounting and reporting arrangements and deal with the position of organisations that were established elsewhere but operate for charitable purposes here. The Committee has received two briefings from departmental officials, one before the Bill's introduction and the other on 2 July, after its Second Stage. Those discussions demonstrated that a number of areas merited detailed consideration, including the safeguards surrounding official warnings and other regulatory powers; information-sharing arrangements; accounting and reporting requirements; the implications of the repeal of section 167 of the Charities Act 2008; the use of delegated powers; and the practical capacity of the Charity Commission to implement some of the proposals. In the evidence session on 2 July, the Committee heard that the Department was continuing to consider the practical delivery of aspects of the Bill, following concerns raised by the Charity Commission about the resources that would be required under the proposed new approach. Exactly that type of issue demonstrates why it is important that the Committee Stage provide sufficient time for proper scrutiny. There is also an important practical issue with timing. The Bill reached the Committee immediately before the summer recess. The Committee's call for evidence has therefore included the summer period and will close this Thursday, on 10 September. That is a particularly relevant consideration for the Bill because many of the bodies affected are small charities and voluntary organisations that depend heavily on trustees and volunteers and may have limited capacity to respond quickly to legislative consultations. After the call for evidence closes, the Committee must consider the submissions, identify matters that require further examination and hear oral evidence from relevant stakeholders. We must then consider the evidence collectively, return to the Department for clarification where that is required, consider potential amendments, undertake formal clause-by-clause scrutiny and agree our report to the Assembly. As with many Committees, the Communities Committee already has an extensive programme of legislative and wider scrutiny work ahead of it during this session. The extension is intended to allow the Committee to carry out those responsibilities alongside proper and robust scrutiny of the Bill. I emphasise that the Committee has no interest in delaying the Bill unnecessarily. If we are in a position to conclude our scrutiny and report to the Assembly before 11 December, we absolutely will do so. The purpose of the motion is simply to provide the Committee with the necessary flexibility to do its job thoroughly and to ensure that the legislation that returns to the House has benefited from proper, evidence-based scrutiny. The charity and voluntary sector plays a hugely important role in communities across the North. Changes to the framework governing that sector therefore deserve our careful consideration. The Committee wants to ensure that the Bill achieves the proper balance between effective regulation, public confidence and accountability, on the one hand, and a proportionate regulatory burden on charities, particularly smaller organisations, on the other. For those reasons, on behalf of the Committee for Communities, I ask Members to support the extension of the Committee Stage of the Charities (Amendment) Bill to 11 December 2026.

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

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