OSCR has reported a positive response to its consultation on how charities report and register with the Scottish regulator and will bring in new changes by 2011.

The OSCR proposals for new regulation on charities reporting include the submission of annual accounts, with a shorter annual return form cut from five pages to two and a revised Supplementary Monitoring return form.

OSCR has also proposed a revised Scottish charity register with graphically presented financial highlights for all charities, and the introduction of ‘OSCR on-line’, which will allow charities to update specific details held by OSCR and complete their annual reporting requirements on-line.

OSCR’s Chief Executive, Jane Ryder, said:

‘We are extremely grateful to all those who took part and gave us their views on our proposals. These were designed to balance the needs of the sector, the public, and OSCR as regulator carrying out its legal duties. It is reassuring to see such a positive response and we will continue to provide regular updates, as we work towards delivery.’

OSCR has also urged charities to report fraud even if cases are already dealt with. Charities are not legally required to inform the regulator when they encounter fraud.