Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008

Proceedings by other persons

54.—(1) Charity proceedings may be taken with reference to a charity either by the charity, or by any of the charity trustees, or by any person interested in the charity, but not by any other person.

(2) Subject to the following provisions of this section, no charity proceedings relating to a charity shall be entertained or proceeded with in any court unless the taking of the proceedings is authorised by order of the Commission.

(3) The Commission shall not, without special reasons, authorise the taking of charity proceedings where in its opinion the case can be dealt with by the Commission under the powers of this Act other than those conferred by section 53.

(4) This section shall not require any order for the taking of proceedings in a pending cause or matter or for the bringing of any appeal.

(5) Where the foregoing provisions of this section require the taking of charity proceedings to be authorised by an order of the Commission, the proceedings may nevertheless be entertained or proceeded with if, after the order had been applied for and refused, leave to take the proceedings was obtained from one of the judges of the High Court attached to the Chancery Division.

(6) Nothing in the foregoing subsections shall apply to the taking of proceedings by the Attorney General, with or without a relator, or to the taking of proceedings by the Commission in accordance with section 53.

(7) Where it appears to the Commission, on an application for an order under this section or otherwise, that it is desirable for legal proceedings to be taken with reference to any charity or its property or affairs, and for the proceedings to be taken by the Attorney General, the Commission shall so inform the Attorney General, and send the Attorney General such statements and particulars as the Commission thinks necessary to explain the matter.

(8) In this section “charity proceedings” means proceedings in any court in Northern Ireland brought under the court’s jurisdiction with respect to charities, or brought under the court’s jurisdiction with respect to trusts in relation to the administration of a trust for charitable purposes.