Sir, – The Wheel, the national association of charities, agrees fully that “real oversight and governance are essential, not optional” (“Charity sector needs urgent overhaul”, Letters, October 16th). In our experience, the vast majority of the sector’s almost 12,000 organisations adhere to high governance standards and deliver services with proper governance. We and our members have consistently advocated for enhanced regulation, and we continue to work with the Charities Regulator to foster greater public trust in our collective endeavours.
We recently welcomed the enactment of the Charities (Amendment) Act 2024, which strengthens charity regulation by enhancing financial transparency and clarifying charity trustees’ duties. To ensure a robust and effective regulatory framework for Irish charities, Government must adequately resource the infrastructure of compliance – both for charities and regulators. Our recent members’ regulation survey report found that just one in five respondents had a dedicated, full-time staff member to undertake their funding, compliance and regulation responsibilities, while almost one in six relied on volunteers. The reliance on volunteers is particularly prevalent in smaller organisations that cannot afford to hire someone for this purpose.
In our statement on the publication of the Charities Regulator’s report into the Peter McVerry Trust, we called on Government to review and streamline compliance and regulatory requirements; ensure that the cost of compliance is included in funding contracts for the delivery of public services; provide support and promotion of good governance practices; and enable greater collaboration and dialogue between the sector and Government departments and State agencies.
We urge all stakeholders to make every effort to ensure the effective implementation of a robust and fair regulatory framework. – Yours, etc,
COLETTE BENNETT,
Director of Advocacy and Research,
The Wheel,
Dublin 2.