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The Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations still does not have adequate information about unregistered groups, raising risks about operations and activities beyond its regulatory ability, according to a National Audit Office report.The report, published MonUnregistered voluntary groups continue to pose risks - NAO
The Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations still does not have adequate information about unregistered groups, raising risks about operations and activities beyond its regulatory ability, according to a National Audit Office report.The report, published Monday, found that there were 1,300 enrolled voluntary organisations as of August this year, but an uncertain number of groups that remained unregistered.The lack of clear information hindered the Commissioner’s «planning capabilities and risk assessments», the audit office said.The report follows legislative changes in November extending the Commissioner’s remit, streamlining enforcement mechanisms and obliging all voluntary organisations to register.The NAO warned that the Commissioner was also facing a lack of information over financing, with many government ministries not informing the office when they issued public grants to voluntary organisations, and obligatory reporting requirements over fundraising left unenforced since 2012. Read: NGO sector ‘vulnerable to money laundering’It found an “environment of significantly high non-compliance” over the timely submission of annual returns but added that the Office of the... Read more