Session 2010 - 12
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Charities Bill [HL]


Charities Bill [HL]
Part 9 — Charity trustees, trustees and auditors etc.

97

 
 

Condition B

 
 

Condition B is that, before entering into that agreement, the charity trustees

 
 

decided that they were satisfied that it would be in the best interests of the

 
 

charity for the services to be provided by P to or on behalf of the charity for

 
 

the amount or maximum amount of remuneration set out in the agreement.

 

5

 

Condition C

 
 

Condition C is that if immediately after the agreement is entered into there is,

 
 

in the case of the charity, more than one person who is a charity trustee and

 
 

is—

 
 

(a)   

a person in respect of whom an agreement within Condition A is in

 

10

 

force,

 
 

(b)   

a person who is entitled to receive remuneration out of the funds of

 
 

the charity otherwise than by virtue of such an agreement, or

 
 

(c)   

a person connected with a person falling within paragraph (a) or (b),

 
 

the total number of them constitute a minority of the persons for the time

 

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being holding office as charity trustees of the charity.

 
 

Condition D

 
 

Condition D is that the trusts of the charity do not contain any express

 
 

provision that prohibits P from receiving the remuneration.

 
 

(3)   

Nothing in this section applies to—

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(a)   

any remuneration for services provided by a person in the person’s

capacity as a charity trustee or trustee for a charity or under a contract

of employment, or

(b)   

any remuneration not within paragraph (a) which a person is entitled

to receive out of the funds of a charity by virtue of—

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(i)   

any provision contained in the trusts of the charity;

(ii)   

any order of the court or the Commission;

(iii)   

any statutory provision contained in or having effect under an

Act other than this section.

(4)   

Before entering into an agreement within Condition A the charity trustees

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must have regard to any guidance given by the Commission concerning the

making of such agreements.

(5)   

The duty of care in section 1(1) of the Trustee Act 2000 applies to a charity

trustee when making such a decision as is mentioned in Condition B.

(6)   

For the purposes of Condition C an agreement within Condition A is in force

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so long as any obligations under the agreement have not been fully discharged

by a party to it.

(7)   

Sections 187 and 188 (interpretation) apply for the purposes of this section.

186     

Disqualification of charity trustee or trustee receiving remuneration under

s.185

40

(1)   

This section applies to any charity trustee or trustee for a charity—

(a)   

who is or would be entitled to remuneration under an agreement or

proposed agreement within Condition A, or

 
 

Charities Bill [HL]
Part 9 — Charity trustees, trustees and auditors etc.

98

 

(b)   

who is connected with a person who is or would be so entitled.

(2)   

The charity trustee or trustee for a charity is disqualified from acting as such in

relation to any decision or other matter connected with the agreement.

(3)   

But if an act is done by a person who is disqualified from doing it by virtue of

subsection (2), the act is not invalid merely because of that disqualification.

5

(4)   

If the Commission is satisfied—

(a)   

that a person (“P”) has done any act which P was disqualified from

doing by virtue of subsection (2), and

(b)   

that P or a person connected with P has received or is to receive from

the charity any remuneration under the agreement in question,

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it may make an order under subsection (5) or (6) (as appropriate).

(5)   

An order under this subsection is one requiring P—

(a)   

to reimburse to the charity the whole or part of the remuneration

received as mentioned in subsection (4)(b);

(b)   

to the extent that the remuneration consists of a benefit in kind, to

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reimburse to the charity the whole or part of the monetary value (as

determined by the Commission) of the benefit in kind.

(6)   

An order under this subsection is one directing that P or (as the case may be)

the connected person is not to be paid the whole or part of the remuneration

mentioned in subsection (4)(b).

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(7)   

If the Commission makes an order under subsection (5) or (6), P or (as the case

may be) the connected person accordingly ceases to have any entitlement

under the agreement to so much of the remuneration (or its monetary value) as

the order requires P to reimburse to the charity or (as the case may be) as it

directs is not to be paid to P.

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(8)   

Sections 187 and 188 (interpretation) apply for the purposes of this section.

187     

Meaning of “benefit”, “remuneration”, “services” etc.

In sections 185 and 186

“benefit” means a direct or indirect benefit of any nature;

“maximum amount”, in relation to remuneration, means the maximum

30

amount of the remuneration whether specified in or ascertainable

under the terms of the agreement in question;

“remuneration” includes any benefit in kind (and “amount” accordingly

includes monetary value);

“services”, in the context of remuneration for services, includes goods that

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are supplied in connection with the provision of services.

188     

Meaning of “connected person”

(1)   

For the purposes of sections 185 and 186, the following persons are connected

with a charity trustee or trustee for a charity—

(a)   

a child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, brother or sister of the trustee;

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(b)   

the spouse or civil partner of the trustee or of any person falling within

paragraph (a);

(c)   

a person carrying on business in partnership with the trustee or with

any person falling within paragraph (a) or (b);

 
 

Charities Bill [HL]
Part 9 — Charity trustees, trustees and auditors etc.

99

 

(d)   

an institution which is controlled—

(i)   

by the trustee or by any person falling within paragraph (a), (b)

or (c), or

(ii)   

by two or more persons falling within sub-paragraph (i), when

taken together.

5

(e)   

a body corporate in which—

(i)   

the trustee or any connected person falling within any of

paragraphs (a) to (c) has a substantial interest, or

(ii)   

two or more persons falling within sub-paragraph (i), when

taken together, have a substantial interest.

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(2)   

Sections 350 to 352 (meaning of child, spouse and civil partner, controlled

institution and substantial interest) apply for the purposes of subsection (1).

Indemnity insurance for charity trustees and trustees

189     

Indemnity insurance for charity trustees and trustees

(1)   

The charity trustees of a charity may arrange for the purchase, out of the funds

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of the charity, of insurance designed to indemnify the charity trustees or any

trustees for the charity against any personal liability in respect of—

(a)   

any breach of trust or breach of duty committed by them in their

capacity as charity trustees or trustees for the charity, or

(b)   

any negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust committed by

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them in their capacity as directors or officers of—

(i)   

the charity (if it is a body corporate), or

(ii)   

any body corporate carrying on any activities on behalf of the

charity.

(2)   

But the terms of such insurance must be so framed as to exclude the provision

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of any indemnity for a person (“P”) in respect of—

(a)   

any liability incurred by P to pay—

(i)   

a fine imposed in criminal proceedings, or

(ii)   

a sum payable to a regulatory authority by way of a penalty in

respect of non-compliance with any requirement of a regulatory

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nature (however arising),

(b)   

any liability incurred by P in defending any criminal proceedings in

which P is convicted of an offence arising out of any fraud or

dishonesty, or wilful or reckless misconduct, by P, or

(c)   

any liability incurred by P to the charity that arises out of any conduct—

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(i)   

which P knew (or must reasonably be assumed to have known)

was not in the interests of the charity, or

(ii)   

in the case of which P did not care whether it was in the best

interests of the charity or not.

(3)   

For the purposes of subsection (2)(b)—

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(a)   

the reference to any such conviction is a reference to one that has

become final,

(b)   

a conviction becomes final—

(i)   

if not appealed against, at the end of the period for bringing an

appeal, or

45

 
 

Charities Bill [HL]
Part 9 — Charity trustees, trustees and auditors etc.

100

 

(ii)   

if appealed against, at the time when the appeal (or any further

appeal) is disposed of, and

(c)   

an appeal is disposed of—

(i)   

if it is determined and the period for bringing any further

appeal has ended, or

5

(ii)   

if it is abandoned or otherwise ceases to have effect.

(4)   

The charity trustees of a charity may not purchase insurance under this section

unless they decide that they are satisfied that it is in the best interests of the

charity for them to do so.

(5)   

The duty of care in section 1(1) of the Trustee Act 2000 applies to a charity

10

trustee when making such a decision.

(6)   

This section—

(a)   

does not authorise the purchase of any insurance whose purchase is

expressly prohibited by the trusts of the charity, but

(b)   

has effect despite any provision prohibiting the charity trustees or

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trustees for the charity receiving any personal benefit out of the funds

of the charity.

190     

Power to amend s.189

The Minister may by order make such amendments of section 189(2) and (3) as

the Minister considers appropriate.

20

Powers to relieve trustees and auditors etc. from liability

191     

Commission’s power to relieve trustees and auditors etc. from liability

(1)   

This section applies to a person (“P”) who is or has been—

(a)   

a charity trustee or trustee for a charity,

(b)   

a person appointed to audit a charity’s accounts (whether appointed

25

under an enactment or otherwise), or

(c)   

an independent examiner or other person appointed to examine or

report on a charity’s accounts (whether appointed under an enactment

or otherwise).

(2)   

If the Commission considers—

30

(a)   

that P is or may be personally liable for a breach of trust or breach of

duty committed in P’s capacity as a person within subsection (1)(a), (b)

or (c), but

(b)   

that P has acted honestly and reasonably and ought fairly to be excused

for the breach of trust or duty,

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the Commission may make an order relieving P wholly or partly from any such

liability.

(3)   

An order under subsection (2) may grant the relief on such terms as the

Commission thinks fit.

(4)   

Subsection (2) does not apply in relation to any personal contractual liability of

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a charity trustee or trustee for a charity.

(5)   

For the purposes of this section and section 192

 
 

Charities Bill [HL]
Part 10 — Charitable companies etc.

101

 

(a)   

subsection (1)(b) is to be read as including a reference to the Auditor

General for Wales acting as auditor under Part 8, and

(b)   

subsection (1)(c) is to be read as including a reference to the Auditor

General for Wales acting as examiner under Part 8;

   

and in subsection (1)(b) and (c) any reference to a charity’s accounts is to be

5

read as including any group accounts prepared by the charity trustees of a

charity.

(6)   

This section does not affect the operation of—

(a)   

section 61 of the Trustee Act 1925 (power of court to grant relief to

trustees),

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(b)   

section 1157 of the Companies Act 2006 (power of court to grant relief

to officers or auditors of companies), or

(c)   

section 192 (which extends section 1157 to auditors etc. of charities

which are not companies).

192     

Court’s power to grant relief to apply to all auditors etc. of charities which are

15

not companies

(1)   

Section 1157 of the Companies Act 2006 (power of court to grant relief to

officers or auditors of companies) has effect in relation to a person to whom this

section applies as it has effect in relation to a person employed as an auditor by

a company.

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(2)   

This section applies to—

(a)   

a person acting in a capacity within section 191(1)(b) or (c) in a case

where, apart from this section, section 1157 of the 2006 Act would not

apply in relation to that person as a person so acting, and

(b)   

a charity trustee of a CIO.

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Part 10

Charitable companies etc.

Introductory

193     

Meaning of “charitable company”

In this Act “charitable company” means a charity which is a company.

30

Disclosure of charitable status by companies

194     

Requirement to disclose charitable status

(1)   

Where a charitable company’s name does not include the word “charity” or

“charitable”, the fact that the company is a charity must be stated in legible

characters—

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(a)   

in every location, and in every description of document or

communication, in which it is required by regulations under section 82

of the Companies Act 2006 to state its registered name, and

(b)   

in all conveyances purporting to be executed by the company.

 
 

Charities Bill [HL]
Part 10 — Charitable companies etc.

102

 

(2)   

Where a company’s name includes the word “elusen” or “elusennol” (the

Welsh equivalents of “charity” and “charitable”), subsection (1) does not apply

in relation to any document that is wholly in Welsh.

(3)   

The statement required by subsection (1) must be in English, except that, in the

case of a document that is otherwise wholly in Welsh, the statement may be in

5

Welsh if it consists of or includes the word “elusen” or “elusennol”.

(4)   

In subsection (1)(b) “conveyance” means any instrument creating, transferring,

varying or extinguishing an interest in land.

195     

Civil consequences of failure to make required disclosure

(1)   

This section applies to any legal proceedings brought by a charitable company

10

to which section 194 applies to enforce a right arising out of a contract or

conveyance in connection with which there was a failure to comply with that

section.

(2)   

The proceedings must be dismissed if it is shown that the defendant to the

proceedings—

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(a)   

has a claim against the company arising out of the contract or

conveyance that the defendant has been unable to pursue because of

the company’s failure to comply with section 194, or

(b)   

has suffered some financial loss in connection with the contract or

conveyance because of the company’s failure to comply with that

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section,

   

unless the court before which the proceedings are brought is satisfied that it is

just and equitable to permit the proceedings to continue.

(3)   

This section does not affect the right of any person to enforce such rights as that

person may have against another in any proceedings brought by the other.

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196     

Criminal consequences of failure to make required disclosure

(1)   

Where a charitable company fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with

section 194, an offence is committed by—

(a)   

the company, and

(b)   

every officer of the company who is in default.

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(2)   

For this purpose a shadow director of the company is treated as an officer of

the company if the failure is to comply with section 194(1)(a) and that person

would be treated as an officer of the company for the purposes of the

corresponding requirement of regulations under section 82 of the Companies

Act 2006.

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(3)   

A person guilty of such an offence is liable on summary conviction to a fine not

exceeding level 3 on the standard scale and, for continued contravention, a

daily default fine not exceeding 10% of level 3 on the standard scale.

(4)   

Expressions used in this section have the same meaning as in section 84 of the

Companies Act 2006 (criminal consequences of failure to disclose company’s

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registered name).

 
 

 
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Revised 28 June 2011