Comments Invited on the Draft Standard Information Return (SIR)

• Background
• Development of the SIR, Guidance Notes and Glossary
• What we are inviting comments on
• How to submit your comments
• Standard Information Return - Key Principles
• Draft proposals for the SIR
• Draft guidance notes for the SIR and glossary of terms

Background

In September 2002 the Government’s Strategy Unit report, Private Action, Public Benefit, was published. One of its recommendations was that each charity with an income of above £1million should complete an annual Standard Information Return which highlights key qualitative and quantitative information about the charity, in order to ensure that the general public, donors and investors are better informed about the work of charities.

Whilst the Charity Commission has been tasked with taking this recommendation forward, the SIR’s main purpose is to ensure that key information about charities is available to and understood by the general public.

The Charity Commission proposes to include the SIR as an addition to the Annual Return process, as this route means that:

• there would be flexibility to amend the form without seeking statutory approval;
• the information would be consistently presented; and easy to make publicly available through display on the Charity Commission’s website.

Development of the SIR, Guidance Notes and Glossary

We have published for comment a copy of the draft SIR, together with draft Guidance Notes and a Glossary of Terms that have been designed to support charities in completing the SIR. We have also developed a list of Key Principles that underpin the SIR which we have published for information. At the same time we are piloting this draft SIR and the supporting material with 200 charities. Your comments, together with the results of the pilot, will be used to further develop the SIR prior to its introduction in 2005/06.

What we are inviting comments on

We welcome comments on:

• the contribution the SIR will make to improving the information available to the general public about the work of charities;
• the questions within the draft SIR;
• the size of data fields. We have not prescribed a set number of characters for those questions requiring a narrative response. We would welcome your views on the number of characters or words that you think necessary to provide a short but meaningful response.
• the usefulness of the supporting material and guidance; and
• the proposed name. The "Standard Information Return" has had a mixed response, and instead the Charity Commission is suggesting "The Summary Information Report" (SIR). We would welcome your views on this suggestion, on whether the acronym is understood and recognised, or whether there are better alternatives.

How to submit your comments

Comments can be submitted by email or by post up until Friday 30 July 2004. Comments by email can be sent to Monica Davidson or by post to Monica Davidson, Charity Commission, Harmsworth House, 13-15 Bouverie Street, London EC4Y 8DP.