Dr. Oonagh Breen:

Under the Charities Act 2009, it is an offence to hold oneself as a charity if one is not on the register of charities. The benefit is that a charity will not get prosecuted. The public is unable to believe that a body is a charity unless its name appears on the register. This is one of the most important provisions in the Act because unless we map the sector we cannot support or regulate it.