Legalize / United Kingdom / Public General Act

Charities Act 1992

Type Public General Act

Publication 1992-03-16

State In force

Department Statute Law Database

Source legislation.gov.uk

Reform history JSON API

Part I

Preliminary

Interpretation of Part I, etc

1

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Registration of charities

The register of charities

2

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Status of registered charity (other than small charity) to appear on official publications etc

3

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Charity names

Power of Commissioners to require charity’s name to be changed

4

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Effect of direction under s. 4 where charity is a company

5

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Supervision and control by Commissioners

General power to institute inquiries

6

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Power of Commissioners to obtain information and documents

7

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Power to act for protection of charities

8

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Supplementary provisions relating to receiver and manager appointed for a charity

9

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Additional powers exercisable by Commissioners in relation to charitable companies

10

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Report of inquiry held by Commissioners to be evidence in certain proceedings

11

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Supervision by Commissioners of certain Scottish charities

12

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Powers with respect to administration of charities

Commissioners' concurrent jurisdiction with High Court for certain purposes

13

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Trust corporations appointed by Commissioners under 1960 Act

14

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Application of property cy-prehs

15

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Common deposit funds

16

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Power of Commissioners to authorise certain ex gratia payments etc. by charities

17

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Dormant bank accounts of charities

18

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Charity accounts

Duty to keep accounting records

19

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Annual statements of accounts

20

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Annual audit or examination of charity accounts

21

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Supplementary provisions relating to audits etc

22

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Annual reports

23

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Special provision as respects accounts and annual reports of exempt and other excepted charities

24

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Public inspection of annual reports etc

25

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Annual returns by registered charities

26

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Offences

27

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Charity proceedings

Power of Commissioners to bring proceedings with respect to charities

28

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Charity property

Divestment of charity property held by official custodian for charities

29

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Provisions supplementary to s. 29

30

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Divestment in the case of land subject to Reverter of Sites Act 1987

31

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Restrictions on dispositions of charity land

32

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Supplementary provisions relating to dispositions of charity land

33

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Restrictions on mortgaging charity land

34

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Supplementary provisions relating to mortgaging of charity land

35

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Removal of requirements under statutory provisions for consent to dealings with charity land

36

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Release of charity rentcharges

37

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Powers of investment

Relaxation of restrictions on wider-range investments

38

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Extension of powers of investment

39

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Charitable companies

Charitable companies: alteration of objects clause etc

40

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Charitable companies: requirement of consent of Commissioners to certain acts

41

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Charitable companies: name to appear on correspondence etc

42

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Small charities

Small charities: power to transfer all property, modify objects etc

43

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Small charities: power to spend capital

44

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Disqualification for acting as charity trustee

Persons disqualified for being trustees of a charity

45

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Person acting as charity trustee while disqualified

46

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Miscellaneous and supplementary

Minor and consequential amendments of 1960 Act

47

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Amendment of Charitable Trustees Incorporation Act 1872

48

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Amendment of Redundant Churches and Other Religious Buildings Act 1969

49

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Contributions towards maintenance etc. of almshouses

50

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Fees and other amounts payable to Commissioners

51

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Disclosure of information to and by Commissioners

52

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Data protection

53

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Supply of false or misleading information to Commissioners, etc

54

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Restriction on institution of proceedings for certain offences

55

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Enforcement of requirements by order of Commissioners, and other provisions as to orders made by them

56

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Directions of the Commissioners

57

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Part II — CONTROL OF FUND-RAISING FOR CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS

Preliminary

Interpretation of Part II

58

(1) In this Part—

“charitable contributions”, in relation to any representation made by any commercial participator or other person, means—the whole or part of—the consideration given for goods or services sold or supplied by him, orany proceeds (other than such consideration) of a promotional venture undertaken by him, orsums given by him by way of donation in connection with the sale or supply of any such goods or services (whether the amount of such sums is determined by reference to the value of any such goods or services or otherwise);

“charitable institution” means a charity or an institution (other than a charity) which is established for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes;

“commercial participator”, in relation to any charitable institution, means any person (apart from a company connected with the institution) who—carries on for gain a business other than a fund-raising business, butin the course of that business, engages in any promotional venture in the course of which it is represented that charitable contributions are to be given to or applied for the benefit of the institution;

“company” has the meaning given by section 353 of the Charities Act 2011;

“the court” means the High Court or the county court;

“credit card” means a card which is a credit-token within the meaning of the Consumer Credit Act 1974;

“debit card” means a card the use of which by its holder to make a payment results in a current account of his at a bank, or at any other institution providing banking services, being debited with the payment;

“fund-raising business” means any business carried on for gain and wholly or primarily engaged in soliciting or otherwise procuring money or other property for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes;

“institution” includes any trust or undertaking;

“professional fund-raiser” means—any person (apart from a charitable institution or a company connected with such an institution) who carries on a fund-raising business, orany other person (apart from a person excluded by virtue of subsection (2) or (3)) who for reward solicits money or other property for the benefit of a charitable institution, if he does so otherwise than in the course of any fund-raising venture undertaken by a person falling within paragraph (a) above;

“promotional venture” means any advertising or sales campaign or any other venture undertaken for promotional purposes;

“radio or television programme” includes any item included in a programme service within the meaning of the Broadcasting Act 1990.

(2) In subsection (1), paragraph (b) of the definition of “professional fund-raiser” does not apply to any of the following, namely—

(a) any charitable institution or any company connected with any such institution;

(b) any officer or employee of any such institution or company, or any trustee of any such institution, acting (in each case) in his capacity as such;

(c) any person acting as a collector in respect of a public charitable collection (apart from a person who is a promoter of such a collection as defined in section 47(1) of the Charities Act 2006);

(d) any person who in the course of a relevant programme, that is to say a radio or television programme in the course of which a fund-raising venture is undertaken by—

(i) a charitable institution, or

(ii) a company connected with such an institution,

makes any solicitation at the instance of that institution or company; or

(e) any commercial participator;

and for this purpose “collector” and “public charitable collection” have the same meaning as in Chapter 1 of Part 3 of the Charities Act 2006.

(3) In addition, paragraph (b) of the definition of “professional fund-raiser” does not apply to a person if he does not receive—

(a) more than—

(i) £10 per day, or

(ii) £1,000 per year,

by way of remuneration in connection with soliciting money or other property for the benefit of the charitable institution referred to in that paragraph; or

(b) more than £1,000 by way of remuneration in connection with any fund-raising venture in the course of which he solicits money or other property for the benefit of that institution.

(4) In this Part any reference to charitable purposes, where occurring in the context of a reference to charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes, is a reference to charitable purposes as defined by section 2(1) of the Charities Act 2011.

(5) For the purposes of this Part a company is connected with a charitable institution if—

(a) the institution, or

(b) the institution and one or more other charitable institutions, taken together,

is or are entitled (whether directly or through one or more nominees) to exercise, or control the exercise of, the whole of the voting power at any general meeting of the company.

(6) In this Part—

(a) “represent” and “solicit” mean respectively represent and solicit in any manner whatever, whether expressly or impliedly and whether done—

(i) by speaking directly to the person or persons to whom the representation or solicitation is addressed (whether when in his or their presence or not), or

(ii) by means of a statement published in any newspaper, film or radio or television programme,

or otherwise, and references to a representation or solicitation shall be construed accordingly; and

(b) any reference to soliciting or otherwise procuring money or other property is a reference to soliciting or otherwise procuring money or other property whether any consideration is, or is to be, given in return for the money or other property or not.

(7) Where—

(a) any solicitation of money or other property for the benefit of a charitable institution is made in accordance with arrangements between any person and that institution, and

(b) under those arrangements that person will be responsible for receiving on behalf of the institution money or other property given in response to the solicitation,

then (if he would not be so regarded apart from this subsection) that person shall be regarded for the purposes of this Part as soliciting money or other property for the benefit of the institution.

(8) Where any fund-raising venture is undertaken by a professional fund-raiser in the course of a radio or television programme, any solicitation which is made by a person in the course of the programme at the instance of the fund-raiser shall be regarded for the purposes of this Part as made by the fund-raiser and not by that person (and shall be so regarded whether or not the solicitation is made by that person for any reward).

(9) In this Part “services” includes facilities, and in particular—

(a) access to any premises or event;

(b) membership of any organisation;

(d) the provision of any financial facilities;

and references to the supply of services shall be construed accordingly.

(10) The Secretary of State may by order amend subsection (3) by substituting a different sum for any sum for the time being specified there.

Control of fund-raising

Prohibition on professional fund-raiser etc. raising funds for charitable institution without an agreement in prescribed form

59

(1) It shall be unlawful for a professional fund-raiser to solicit money or other property for the benefit of a charitable institution unless he does so in accordance with an agreement with the institution satisfying the prescribed requirements.

(2) It shall be unlawful for a commercial participator to represent that charitable contributions are to be given to or applied for the benefit of a charitable institution unless he does so in accordance with an agreement with the institution satisfying the prescribed requirements.

(3) Where on the application of a charitable institution the court is satisfied—

(a) that any person has contravened or is contravening subsection (1) or (2) in relation to the institution, and

(b) that, unless restrained, any such contravention is likely to continue or be repeated,

the court may grant an injunction restraining the contravention; and compliance with subsection (1) or (2) shall not be enforceable otherwise than in accordance with this subsection.

(4) Where—

(a) a charitable institution makes any agreement with a professional fund-raiser or a commercial participator by virtue of which—

(i) the professional fund-raiser is authorised to solicit money or other property for the benefit of the institution, or

(ii) the commercial participator is authorised to represent that charitable contributions are to be given to or applied for the benefit of the institution,

as the case may be, but

(b) the agreement does not satisfy the prescribed requirements in any respect,

the agreement shall not be enforceable against the institution except to such extent (if any) as may be provided by an order of the court.

(5) A professional fund-raiser or commercial participator who is a party to such an agreement as is mentioned in subsection (4)(a) shall not be entitled to receive any amount by way of remuneration or expenses in respect of anything done by him in pursuance of the agreement unless—

(a) he is so entitled under any provision of the agreement, and

(b) either—

(i) the agreement satisfies the prescribed requirements, or

(ii) any such provision has effect by virtue of an order of the court under subsection (4).

(6) In this section “the prescribed requirements” means the requirement in subsection (7) and such other requirements (including any requirements supplementing subsections (7) and (8)) as are prescribed by regulations made by virtue of section 64(2)(a).

(7) The requirement in this subsection is that the agreement must specify all of the following—

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