Issue date: 09 September 2010
Consultation on the proposed withdrawal of paper forms for Annual Returns, Registration applications, and forthcoming Charitable Incorporated Organisations
Why are we consulting?
The Commission is seeking to move to a position where the bulk of our interactions with customers are done online. This means that some traditional hard copy methods of doing business will be phased out.
A move to online services has a number of benefits for the customer, the Commission, and the environment. However, the increasing use of online options and the withdrawal of some existing methods of operating will have an impact on our customers.
We are consulting on the withdrawal of the paper-based form for two services:
- Annual Returns/Updates for registered charities – withdrawal of the paper-based form for financial years ending 1 January 2011 onwards.
- Registration of new charities – withdrawal of the paper-based form from 1 April 2011.
We are also consulting on a proposal that applications for registration as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), and requests to the Commission from CIOs, should be online only or through electronic means alone. The option to register as a CIO should be available in the first quarter of 2011 and this would take effect immediately.
Alternative arrangements for using these services will be put in place where legitimate accessibility issues arise. The Commission has published an Equality Impact Assessment for its proposals for online services and invited comments – this consultation is open until 29 October 2010. You can read the consultation document and find out how to respond here.
Who is this consultation aimed at?
The main focus of this consultation is on charity trustees and employees and their professional advisers who use our services. However we welcome responses from anyone with an interest in the Charity Commission and our services.
Sources of help with online completion
Charities that do not have access to the internet can get help and advice from a number of agencies. The Commission also offers online guidance and a dedicated help line.
Further details about:
- how to access the Commission’s online Annual Return/Update service
- how to access the Commission’s online Registration service
- how to get online
- sources of help with online completion
form part of this consultation.
How, where and when to send comments
Everyone is welcome to respond to this consultation and we would be grateful if you could email your response to online@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk.
Please use the subject line ‘Consultation on withdrawal of paper forms’.
Alternatively, you can send your comments by post to:
Online Services Consultation
Charity Commission Direct
PO Box 1227
Liverpool L69 3UG
The consultation is open until 2 December 2010.
We welcome any comment you wish to make about the impact of these changes.
In particular we would like feedback on the following questions:
- Will the online submission of your Annual Return/Update lead to additional difficulty or cost?
- Will the online application for registration lead to additional difficulty or cost?
- Will the online application to become a CIO lead to additional difficulty or cost?
- From those who already submit returns/updates online: has this benefited your charity?
- From those who have already applied to register a charity online: has this benefited your charity?
- Do you have any suggestions about how our online services might be improved?
- Do you have any suggestions of additional support we could offer charities to help them use our online services?
It would also be helpful if you could provide us with the following standard information in the order requested as part of the introduction to your response. This will allow us to manage the responses and use the information more effectively, as well as helping us to keep you up to date with any progress:
- Organisation / Charity name (if applicable)
- Charity number (if applicable)
- Contact name
- Position within organisation (if applicable)
- Contact number
- Contact address
- Contact e-mail
- Confidentiality Statement (if applicable - see following sections)
- Consultation response / answers to consultation questions
Where appropriate, we encourage you to provide evidence in support of your response. If you are a representative group, please provide a summary of the people and organisations you represent as part of your response.
How we will treat the information provided
All information contained within the responses (including personal information) may be published or disclosed in accordance with the access to information regimes, primarily set out in the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.
If you want information given in response to the consultation to be kept confidential it will only be possible to do so if it is consistent with our legal obligations. There is a statutory Code of Practice under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which public authorities must comply with. This sets out how confidential information must be dealt with. We cannot give assurances that all information will be kept confidential but we will take into account any representations made by you.
If you object to any of the information (including your personal details) which you are giving in response to the consultation being published, please say so. It would be helpful for any such objections to be supported with an explanation of why you regard the information to be confidential so that a decision can be made as to whether there are grounds for not publishing such information.
What will happen at the end of the consultation period?
Following the formal consultation period, the Charity Commission will consider the responses and reach a decision on each of the three proposals for taking our services online only. A summary of the responses to the consultation will be available on the Charity Commission’s website and intranet, and in different formats on request. Your comments are important to us and will help us understand our customers’ needs as we develop our services.
Consultation documents
- Proposals for withdrawing the paper form for the Annual Return/Update HTML | PDF
- Proposals for withdrawing the paper form for applying to register a charity HTML | PDF
- Proposals for online-only engagement with CIOs HTML | PDF
- Background information:
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