The Registration of Clubs (Accounts) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2022

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Registration of Clubs (Accounts) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2022 and shall come into operation on 1st April 2022.

(2) In these Regulations –

“address” means, in relation to an individual, the full postal address of the place where that individual is ordinarily resident or, in relation to a business, the place where the business is carried on;

“annual statement of accounts” means accruals accounts or receipts and payment of accounts;

“club” means any registered club and any club which may have served notice under paragraph 1(1)(a) of Schedule 2 to the Order;

“committee” means the committee of management or governing body of the club;

“gross income” means the total income recorded from all sources;

“the Order” means the Registration of Clubs (Northern Ireland) Order 1996;

“record” includes any note, memorandum, till roll, annotated sales sheet, invoice, delivery note, docket, statement or other document completed in whole or in part in writing, typescript or printed.

Vouchers

2.—(1) A club shall keep, or cause to be kept, vouchers with respect to its transactions, assets and liabilities.

(2) Vouchers may be kept in electronic or hard copy format. The committee shall keep a formal notification stating the format in which vouchers will be maintained, and, where they are kept in hard copy format, the physical location of all hard copy vouchers.

(3) Vouchers shall be kept in a manner which facilitates ease of access by the committee and others having an express authority to inspect.

(4) In this regulation “Vouchers” means –

(a) all original records including order forms, invoices, credit notes, goods returned notes, receipts, contracts, correspondence and other records relating to goods and services supplied to or by the club or to monies received by the club;

(b) all banking records including pay-in slip counterfoils, BACS or other electronic banking printouts, cheques (if returned to the club), other banking correspondence including statements;

(c) all member’s lists including paid/unpaid subscription records;

(d) all till rolls, sale sheets and stock records;

(e) all leases, mortgages and title deeds relating to land or buildings owned/leased by or on behalf of the club;

(f) all annual statement of accounts, minutes of the committee made in accordance with the Order or these Regulations; and

(g) all assessments, notices and demands in respect of rates, income tax, corporation tax, VAT, National Insurance and original copies of all correspondence with government bodies/departments.

System of Control

3.  The Department directs that a club shall establish and maintain a system of control of accounts, cash holdings, and all income, expenditure and remittances in such form and manner as set out in Schedule 1.

Annual Statement of Accounts

4.—(1) Within 3 months of the end of its financial year –

(a) a club, other than a small or medium club, shall:

(i) prepare an accruals account as specified in Part 1 of Schedule 2; and

(ii) cause such accruals account to be audited by an auditor.

(b) a medium club, shall:

(i) prepare an accruals account as specified in Part 1 of Schedule 2; and

(ii) cause such accruals account to be audited by an auditor or examined by an independent examiner.

(c) a small club shall:

(i) prepare an accruals account as specified in Part 1 of Schedule 2 or a receipts and payments account as specified in Part 2 of Schedule 2; and

(ii) where it has prepared an accruals account, cause such account to be audited by an auditor or examined by an independent examiner; or

(iii) where it has prepared a receipts and payments account, cause such account to be examined by an independent auditor.

(2) In this Regulation –

“medium club” means a club which in any financial year has a gross income that exceeds £300,000 and is less than £500,000 and is not required by its governing document to have a formal audit of its annual statement of accounts;

“small club” means a club which in any financial year has a gross income that does not exceed £300,000 and is not required by law or its governing document to have a formal audit of its annual statement of accounts.

Auditor

5.—(1) An auditor under Regulation 4(1) refers to a person who is:

(a) an independent person;

(b) eligible for appointment as a statutory auditor under Part 42 of the Companies Act 2006;

(c) a member of a body specified under paragraph (2); and

(d) under the rules of that body eligible for appointment as auditor of a club.

(2) The following bodies are specified for the purposes of (1)(c):

(a) the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales;

(b) the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland;

(c) the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland;

(d) the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants;

(e) the Association of Authorised Public Accountants;

(f) the Association of Accounting Technicians;

(g) the Association of International Accountants;

(h) the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants;

(i) the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators;

(j) the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy;

(k) the Institute of Financial Accountants;

(l) the Certified Public Accountants Association;

(m) the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland(1).

(3) An audit shall be conducted in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland) and comply with the Financial Reporting Council’s Ethical Standards for Auditors.

(4) In this Regulation “independent person” means a person who is not, and has not in the preceding six years been an official, member, or an employee of the club and who the committee are satisfied has the requisite skills and knowledge to properly perform the relevant duties.

Independent Examiner

6.—(1) The Department directs that the selection of a person for appointment as an independent examiner be in such form and manner as set out in Schedule 3.

(2) An independent examiner shall examine an annual statement of accounts in such manner as set out in Schedule 4.

Revocation

7.  The Registration of Clubs (Accounts) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(2) are hereby revoked.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Communities on 10th March 2022.

(L.S.)

Anthony Carleton

A senior officer of the Department for Communities