OFFICE OF THE SCOTTISH CHARITY REGULATOR 10TH ANNIVERSARY

That this House congratulates the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) as it celebrates its 10th anniversary and notes that throughout its time as Scotland's charity regulator, its focus has been on targeting its effort and resources on maintaining the public's confidence in charities; acknowledges that work continues as the regulator reshapes its processes and structures, and works with Scottish Government, third sector organisations and support groups to ensure that charity law and regulation continue to meet expectations; notes that in 2007, 20.4 per cent of Scottish charities with an income under £25,000 and 66.2 per cent of charities over £25,000 met OSCR requirements in the preparation of accounts; further notes that in 2015-16, the figures were 78 per cent and 83 per cent respectively, showing that the OSCR has driven up governance standards; and recognises that its work in reorganising charities has released £40 million back to Scotland's charity sector and since 2006 has registered 9,102 new charities, granted consent to 8,450 changes to charities and handled 2,633 concerns about charities and in 2015 granted charitable status to 918 charities, up 22 per cent on the previous year.