Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator
Encyclopedia
The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) is a non-ministerial department of the Scottish Government, with responsibility for the regulation of charities in Scotland
. It was formerly an executive agency but following the passing of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act it was made independent of ministerial control
, and answers directly to the Scottish Parliament
.
The OSCR is charged with developing a regulatory framework for Scottish charities, where each charity is clear about is rights and responsibilities. This framework should also foster public confidence in charities.
It is the equivalent of the Charity Commission for England and Wales and the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland
.
was given the power to make enquiries either for general or specific purposes and to obtain various types of information from charities. Following the Scotland Act and the establishment of both the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government this power was exercised by the Scottish Ministers.
Initially charity regulation was carried out by a department in the Crown Office but this function was transferred to the OSCR.
By creating OSCR as a non-ministerial department it will be directly answerable to the Scottish Parliament
and not to Ministers or the Scottish Government.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It was formerly an executive agency but following the passing of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act it was made independent of ministerial control
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
, and answers directly to the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
.
The OSCR is charged with developing a regulatory framework for Scottish charities, where each charity is clear about is rights and responsibilities. This framework should also foster public confidence in charities.
It is the equivalent of the Charity Commission for England and Wales and the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland
Charity Commission for Northern Ireland
The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland is the new independent regulator of Northern Ireland charities.-Aims of the Commmission:The stated vision of the Commission is for "a dynamic and well governed charities sector in which the public has confidence, underpinned by the Charity Commission for...
.
Background
Under section 6 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990, the Lord AdvocateLord Advocate
Her Majesty's Advocate , known as the Lord Advocate , is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament...
was given the power to make enquiries either for general or specific purposes and to obtain various types of information from charities. Following the Scotland Act and the establishment of both the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government this power was exercised by the Scottish Ministers.
Initially charity regulation was carried out by a department in the Crown Office but this function was transferred to the OSCR.
By creating OSCR as a non-ministerial department it will be directly answerable to the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
and not to Ministers or the Scottish Government.