DEAR MADAM - My attention has been drawn to recent press correspondence wherein it has been stated by the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland that charity registration is free of charge. I feel obliged to point out that the issue is not the registration fee but the matter of registration itself.

The writer’s description of the process being a “little daunting” would rank in my opinion as the understatement of the year. The Commission’s own check list on the internet covers no less than 14 items of detailed submission requirements. The registration guide contains five pages and the two most daunting documents dealing with the Public and Statutory guidance are apread over no less than 41 foolscap pages.

I would draw to the attention of all County Fermanagh bands that where: - They have exclusively charitable purposes - They are governed by the law of Northern Ireland - They have contol and direction over a band’s governance and resources.

Registration is compulsory irrespective of size, annual income or financial outgoings.

Where an organisation such as an ordinary road band is obliged to seek professional assistance in compliance with the registration process this will, I submit, prove most expensive in view of the vast amount of supporting documentation required. Is it not too much to request that the Commission modify the registration process and thus ensure compliance with the Legislation rather than having it ignored by the vast majority of Northern Ireland Bands because of financial considerations.

Yours sincerely, J. S. HENDERSON President Co. Fermanagh Section, Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association.