The understanding of what is legally charitable has continued to evolve since the Register was first created over 35 years ago. Consequently, there are almost certainly organisations on the Register which most people would not now regard as charitable and organisations not on it that perhaps they might. We are therefore taking a long, hard look at the Register to consider, within the law, whether those organisations which currently benefit from charitable status should continue to do so, and whether there is scope to develop further the boundaries of charitable status. Both will be done by the flexible use of our powers to apply and interpret the law. The principles that we are using are all based on existing charity law.
Many charities already help unemployed people.
However charities have not been able to have an express object of helping unemployed people. Instead their objects have been advancing education, relieving poverty, or other long established charitable aims. The courts recently recognised that securing gainful activity for unemployed people is charitable in its own right. This publication sets out the criteria which will enable us to accept for registration as charities organisations which aim to relieve unemployment. It also sets out a list of those activities in which charities aiming to relieve unemployment may engage.