Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Alan Shatter, TD has designated Ms. Úna Ní Dhubhghaill as the first Chief Executive of the new Charities Regulatory Authority which is to be established under the Charities Act of 2009.
Speaking today, Minister Shatter said, “I am pleased to announce this appointment which is an important step towards our goal of establishing the new Charities Regulatory Authority within 2014. The Charities Act gives us the framework we need to increase transparency and accountability across the charities sector and to support the good practice that is essential to a strong and vibrant charities sector. We can now move forward with establishing the Office of the Authority and putting its Board in place so that it can begin operation later in the year in line with the commitment made by the Government.”
1 March 2014
ENDS
Notes for Editors
Ms. Ní Dhubhghaill is currently serving as a Principal Officer in the Department of Justice and Equality. She is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and holds a Master in Applied Governance from the Institute of Public Administration / University College Dublin. Before joining the Department of Justice and Equality, she worked in the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of the Environment, Community, and Local Government. Her designation by the Minister follows an internal competitive recruitment process. It is effective from the 1st of March 2014.
The position will be paid according to the Principal Officer higher scale.
The Charities Regulatory Authority will be formally established later this year under the terms of the Charities Act of 2009. It will be an independent state agency of the Department of Justice and Equality. Its general functions are set out in the Act as follows:
(a) increase public trust and confidence in the management and administration of charitable trusts and charitable organisations,
(b) promote compliance by charity trustees with their duties in the control and management of charitable trusts and charitable organisations,
(c) promote the effective use of the property of charitable trusts or charitable organisations,
(d) ensure the accountability of charitable organisations to donors and beneficiaries of charitable gifts, and the public,
(e) promote understanding of the requirement that charitable purposes confer a public benefit,
(f) establish and maintain a register of charitable organisations,
(g) ensure and monitor compliance by charitable organisations with this Act,
(h) carry out investigations in accordance with this Act,
(i) encourage and facilitate the better administration and management of charitable organisations by the provision of information or advice, including in particular by way of issuing (or, as it considers appropriate, approving) guidelines, codes of conduct, and model constitutional documents,
(j) carry on such activities or publish such information (including statistical information) concerning charitable organisations and trusts as it considers appropriate,
(k) provide information (including statistical information) or advice, or make proposals, to the Minister on matters relating to the functions of the Authority.
The Authority will have an independent Board to be appointed by the Minister for Justice and Equality. The Minister for Justice and Equality has sought expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced persons for consideration for appointment to the membership of the Board of the Charities Regulatory Authority. The Minister intends to appoint a Chairperson and Board by Easter. Selection of Board members will be based on an examination of the expressions of interest received and a short listing of the most suitable applicants. The short-listing process will be facilitated by the Public Appointment Service.
One of the first tasks for the Authority will be the development and publication of a Register of Charities under the terms of the Charities Act.
In addition to the Chief Executive, an initial staff of ten is to be assigned to the Authority from within the existing staff of the Department of Justice and Equality.