The Minister for Justice and Equality, Ms. Frances Fitzgerald T.D., tonight gave the keynote address marking the end of the International Charity Regulators Conference in Dublin.
The Charities Regulatory Authority together with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland is hosting the 2015 meeting of the International Charity Regulators in Dublin and Belfast from 24 to 26 November 2015.
The Minister paid tribute to the outstanding work of the charity sector, saying “I have a long-standing interest in the charity sector and an immense regard for the contribution it makes to our communities. Where people are at their most vulnerable, where the need is greatest, our charities are often the first to respond.” The Minister highlighted the importance of trust between charities and their donors, and stated that “Adopting and consistently demonstrating high levels of governance, accountability and transparency can do much to help organisations regain and foster the trust of their donors and beneficiaries.”
The Minister acknowledged the significant progress that has been made in rolling out major reforms in the regulation of Ireland’s charity sector. These reforms include the establishment of a new independent statutory agency, the Charities Regulatory Authority, in October 2014. All charities operating in Ireland have a legal duty to apply to the Authority to be placed on the public register of charities. Registered charities also have a new legal duty to report annually to the Authority on their activities, and to provide financial information. The Minister said “In this way, the new system of registration and reporting of will provide a welcome increase in the overall transparency of the sector.”
The Minister confirmed her Department’s commitment to supporting the Authority during this critical start up phase and thanked the Chair, Board Members, Chief Executive and staff of the Authority for their work to date. The Minister outlined some of the work ahead for the Authority, and indicated “Early next year, I anticipate making regulations under the 2009 Charities Act setting the form and content of charity accounts and reports”. The Minister further indicated her intention to extend the powers of the Authority to the appointment of statutory inspectors, as provided for under the Charities Act, to enable the Authority to conduct full investigations where serious problems have arisen in a charity, and to impose sanctions where necessary.
The Minister has recently asked the Authority to consider the establishment of a Consultative Panel on Charity Fundraising. The Minister stated “It is essential that any public fundraising carried out by or on behalf of charities is done in a way that commands the trust and confidence of the public.”
The funding allocation to the Charities Regulatory Authority has been substantially increased for the second year in a row. The Minister stated that “This increased funding will allow the Authority to scale up its service delivery throughout the year ahead, to the benefit of charities, donors and beneficiaries alike.”
The Minister concluded by congratulating and thanking the conference participants, and acknowledged its value to the Charities Regulatory Authority in Ireland. The Minister stated that “I am sure that you as charity regulators in difference jurisdictions, also share many challenges and can learn much from each other. For the Authority here, so recently established, this shared dialogue is particularly valuable. So I thank you for making the journey to Dublin. I hope you will continue in this collaboration and wish your every success in your future work.”
Notes for Editors:
The Charities Regulatory Authority together with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland is hosting the 2015 meeting of the International Charity Regulators in Dublin and Belfast from 24 to 26 November 2015.
This international conference brings together Charity Regulators from common law jurisdictions, in which the legal framework of charity law is comparable. It is held approximately every 12 – 18 months, and was most recently hosted by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission in April 2014.
This year, the conference is being held in Ireland for the first time. The three day forum is taking place in the Metropolitan Arts Centre in Belfast (24 and 25 November) and the Clyde Court Hotel in Dublin (26 November. In addition to the two host organisations, delegates from the following Charity Regulators will be in attendance;
· Charity Commission for England and Wales
· Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator
· Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission
· Charities Directorate, Canada Revenue Agency
· Charities Services, Department of Internal Affairs, New Zealand
· Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Singapore
· The Revenue Commissioners and the UK tax authorities will also be represented.
Conference Discussion Topics include;
· Developments in approaches to regulation and regulatory pressures
· Public Benefit
· Approach to Investigation and Compliance
· Fundraising
· Evolution in Charity Activities and Regulatory Approach
· Digital Services
The programme in Dublin includes a Stakeholder Forum, hosted by the Charities Regulatory Authority, to provide an opportunity for invited guests from within the Irish charity sector to address delegates from the perspective of the sector. Organisations represented at this session include Irish Charities Tax Research, The Wheel, the Community Foundation for Ireland and Fundraising Ireland.