sec.19Registration of charities

sec.19 Registration of charities

There shall be a register of charities containing all charities for the time being registered under this Act and in which there shall be entered with respect to such charities such particulars as may be prescribed. For the purposes of this Act, the registration of an association as a charity shall embrace every local or affiliated branch or section of the association unless, with the consent of the central body, any such local or affiliated branch or section applies for and is granted registration separately. Where a local or affiliated branch or section of a charity which is registered separately from the central body as a charity, is subsequently removed from the register of charities then until the Minister otherwise directs no appeal for support shall be made for that local or affiliated branch or section or for its objects as distinct from an appeal for support for the central body or for the objects of the central body. While a charity remains registered under this Act then, subject to this Act and the conditions to which the registration is subjected, any appeal for support for the charity may be made. A charity may apply to the chief executive for registration under this Act. With every such application there shall be supplied to the chief executive such documents and information as may be prescribed or as the chief executive may require for the purpose of the application. The Minister may, before granting any application, make such inquiries with respect to the charity as the Minister thinks fit. Every member of the governing body and every officer and member of the charity and any other person shall supply or cause to be supplied all documents in his or her possession or under his or her control or all information within his or her knowledge as is required by the Minister in any inquiry made under subsection (10) . Upon consideration of an application under this section, the Minister in the Minister’s discretion may— grant the application; or grant the application subject to such conditions as the Minister thinks fit; or refuse the application. However, without derogating from subsection (12) , the Minister before refusing any application under this section shall take into consideration whether the association is a charity, whether the charity is established in good faith as a charity, whether there is a likelihood of its complying with the provisions of this Act including the conditions imposed by or under this Act, whether the charity is or will be properly administered, whether the proposed objects of the charity are already covered by a charity which is registered under this Act, and whether it would be in the public interest to grant such application. The Minister may at any time, if the Minister thinks fit, limit the registration under and for the purposes of this Act of any charity to such activity of the charity as relates to or is concerned with any specified object, area, period of time, or manner of making an appeal for support, and where any such conditions are fixed the charity shall comply in every respect therewith. The Minister shall cause to be given to every charity registered under this Act a certificate in or to the effect of the approved form, and, subject to this Act, every such certificate while it continues in force under this Act, shall be evidence of the matter certified to therein. Every charity registered under this Act shall comply in every respect with the provisions of this Act, and the conditions subject to which its registration is granted. The register of charities (including the entries cancelled when associations are removed from the register) shall be open to public inspection at all reasonable times and copies of entries therein or of extracts therefrom may be made available in accordance with the regulations. s 19 amd 1990 No. 80 s 3 sch 6 ; 1995 No. 57 s 4 sch 1 ; 2020 No. 17 s 52 (sec.19-ssec.1) There shall be a register of charities containing all charities for the time being registered under this Act and in which there shall be entered with respect to such charities such particulars as may be prescribed. (sec.19-ssec.5) For the purposes of this Act, the registration of an association as a charity shall embrace every local or affiliated branch or section of the association unless, with the consent of the central body, any such local or affiliated branch or section applies for and is granted registration separately. (sec.19-ssec.6) Where a local or affiliated branch or section of a charity which is registered separately from the central body as a charity, is subsequently removed from the register of charities then until the Minister otherwise directs no appeal for support shall be made for that local or affiliated branch or section or for its objects as distinct from an appeal for support for the central body or for the objects of the central body. (sec.19-ssec.7) While a charity remains registered under this Act then, subject to this Act and the conditions to which the registration is subjected, any appeal for support for the charity may be made. (sec.19-ssec.8) A charity may apply to the chief executive for registration under this Act. (sec.19-ssec.9) With every such application there shall be supplied to the chief executive such documents and information as may be prescribed or as the chief executive may require for the purpose of the application. (sec.19-ssec.10) The Minister may, before granting any application, make such inquiries with respect to the charity as the Minister thinks fit. (sec.19-ssec.11) Every member of the governing body and every officer and member of the charity and any other person shall supply or cause to be supplied all documents in his or her possession or under his or her control or all information within his or her knowledge as is required by the Minister in any inquiry made under subsection (10) . (sec.19-ssec.12) Upon consideration of an application under this section, the Minister in the Minister’s discretion may— grant the application; or grant the application subject to such conditions as the Minister thinks fit; or refuse the application. (sec.19-ssec.13) However, without derogating from subsection (12) , the Minister before refusing any application under this section shall take into consideration whether the association is a charity, whether the charity is established in good faith as a charity, whether there is a likelihood of its complying with the provisions of this Act including the conditions imposed by or under this Act, whether the charity is or will be properly administered, whether the proposed objects of the charity are already covered by a charity which is registered under this Act, and whether it would be in the public interest to grant such application. (sec.19-ssec.14) The Minister may at any time, if the Minister thinks fit, limit the registration under and for the purposes of this Act of any charity to such activity of the charity as relates to or is concerned with any specified object, area, period of time, or manner of making an appeal for support, and where any such conditions are fixed the charity shall comply in every respect therewith. (sec.19-ssec.15) The Minister shall cause to be given to every charity registered under this Act a certificate in or to the effect of the approved form, and, subject to this Act, every such certificate while it continues in force under this Act, shall be evidence of the matter certified to therein. (sec.19-ssec.16) Every charity registered under this Act shall comply in every respect with the provisions of this Act, and the conditions subject to which its registration is granted. (sec.19-ssec.17) The register of charities (including the entries cancelled when associations are removed from the register) shall be open to public inspection at all reasonable times and copies of entries therein or of extracts therefrom may be made available in accordance with the regulations.