Proposed Amendments To Charities Act

Minister of Government Estates and Information Services Michael Scott spoke earlier this week about proposed amendments to the Charities Act 1978. There are thirteen changes that have been proposed.

Speaking at the Charities Stakeholders Meeting at The Leopard’s Club, Minister Scott said, “There are approximately 400 registered charities in Bermuda. These rely on the generosity of our public for support as they carry out their extremely important charitable purposes.”

Minister Scott’s presentation is below, click on the right to advance to the next screen:

“My commitment as the Minister responsible for charities is to ensure that as you reach out to the public for support, this very same public can feel confident that you and your charity deploy funds to the ends and purposes ascribed to your charity. We achieve this through the mechanism of accountability,” said Minister Scott.

“This means that there must be in place adequate legislation and regulation where accountability is the focus. Simultaneously, we must be mindful not to place an onerous burden of administration on our charitable sector, particularly our small charities. We must strike the right balance. The proposed amendments to the Charities Act 1978 aim to do just that.”

The Minister’s full remarks follow below:

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, ‘,

In the immediate shadow of the birthday of MLK, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. it is also appropriate that my opening to this select audience be Good evening drum majors for social justice in Bermuda .

Protocol having already been established by our moderator, Permanent Secretary, Robert Horton, I would like to thank you, the representatives of our charitable sector, for coming out this evening.

Charities, until recently with the Ministry of Community Development, now fall within the remit of my Ministry, the Ministry of Government Estates and Information Services.

Charities make up a very important sector of our society and our economy. The work and dedication carried out by your organisations in this sector are invaluable to us. We do acknowledge that the Government cannot, with our many programmes, fulfill all of the needs of our community. You are vital partners in this process.

There are approximately 400 registered charities in Bermuda. These rely on the generosity of our public for support as they carry out their extremely important charitable purposes. These purposes reflect a wide diversity, spanning from the relief of poverty to the advancement of education.

My commitment as the Minister responsible for charities is to ensure that as you reach out to the public for support, this very same public can feel confident that you and your charity deploy funds to the ends and purposes ascribed to your charity. We achieve this through the mechanism of accountability.

This means that there must be in place adequate legislation and regulation where accountability is the focus. Simultaneously, we must be mindful not to place an onerous burden of administration on our charitable sector, particularly our small charities. We must strike the right balance.

The proposed amendments to the Charities Act 1978 aim to do just that. In essence, there are thirteen changes that have been proposed.

In my presentation this evening, I will provide you with a summary of these changes. You have been provided with a copy of my presentation on which you can make your own notes. We can also email the presentation to you at your request

As I share these changes with you, please know that we value your input and we seek your assurance that we are travelling the same path towards an improved environment in which you, our small charities, can operate successfully.

Thank you.

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