
CHARITIES BILL
Amendment 86
Page 8, line 22: at end insert - "( ) In other circumstances, subject to subsection (6) below, the party bringing proceedings will not be subject to costs."
There is a concern that charities, faced with the possibility of having to meet the costs of the Commission (and, possibly, those of the Attorney General), may shy away from bringing a case to the Tribunal, thereby defeating the aim of furnishing charities with a forum for challenging decisions of the Commission. The amendment seeks to make it expressly clear (rather than simply impliedly, as the Bill currently stands) that the burden of costs will only fall on those who make vexatious, frivolous or unreasonable applications to the Tribunal. The amendment would help to ensure that the Tribunal is as accessible as possible to charities, both large and small, which is presumably the intention behind its establishment.
