Charity Commission for Northern Ireland makes first appointment

The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland has appointed its first chief executive. Frances McCandless, director of policy at the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA), will take up the post in April.

The Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 created the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland and while Commissioners have been appointed, this is the first staff appointment.

The Commission will establish a compulsory charity register of all charities operating in Northern Ireland. It will provide a charity test of which organisation is and which is not a charity. It will also put in place new requirements for all public charitable collections.

www.dsdni.gov.uk