The register of charities in Northern Ireland has been updated so that it can now be searched for financial information on charities.

Charities in the province are currently registering with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland for the first time, and 3,100 have signed up so far. The regulator estimates there are between 7,000 and 12,000 charities in Northern Ireland.

Charities begin reporting to the Commission with their first full financial period after their registration date, and are allowed ten months after their financial period end to submit annual reporting information.

This means most have not yet submitted their first annual returns or annual reports and accounts to the new register https://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/charity-search/.

Frances McCandless, chief executive of the CCNI, said: “One of the benefits of compulsory charity registration is increased openness and transparency across the charity sector.

“Moving towards that aim, the register is now more accessible and dynamic, making it easier to find information on individual charities or search for charities based on activities, charitable purposes or location.

“For the first time, you will also be able to export information on a charity, or group of charities, unlocking valuable data for use in a wide range of applications and research programmes.

“Accompanying the update, the register itself is also growing with our casework team working to process thousands of registration applications and add charities to the register on a weekly, often daily, basis.”