The Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, which was introduced in response to a Court of Appeal ruling in 2021, allows that the Department for Communities may make a scheme of delegation to permit some of the regulator’s decision-making functions to be delegated to staff, as they are in other jurisdictions.

The primary aim of the consultation is to build on information already gathered during pre-consultation on what functions of the Commission, if any, should be delegated, and to what level.

It seeks to meet a recommendation from the independent review of charity regulation relating to the introduction of such a scheme to allow Commissioners to be more strategic in their roles.

The consultation, which can now be accessed online, will run until 15 May 2023.

Views are sought from charities, including their trustees, members, representative groups and beneficiaries, funders, charity lawyers, charity accountants, and members of the public who wish to contribute.