Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Charity should not be necessary in a just society, but it is vital in this society, with a Government imposing austerity on working people who can hardly take anymore. The message going out from the Government, more often than not, to people in trouble because of illness, a disability, poverty or discrimination is that they are on their own. However, they are not alone because there is a vast body of people in this country who are there to help, not for profit or personal gain but because they are selfless in their efforts for the common good.

We are a generous people. Anyone who has ever stood to watch a marathon or watched the women’s mini-marathon on the streets of Dublin during the June bank holiday weekend has seen a passing parade of generosity and a willingness to help our fellow human beings. Every t-shirt will bear the slogan or logo of groups, foundations, trusts and societies from north, south, east and west which step into the breach where State social services fall down or to add to existing services where a need arises for which the State is not yet providing. Every disease, condition, mental and physical disability, syndrome or injury is represented. The runners have not only trained to perform the physical feat, but they have organised fundraising events and pestered their workmates, family members and friends to support their cause and help the people who need it.

We have an international reputation for our generosity. When Bob Geldof organised Live Aid in 1985, despite the State being in economic recession, the Irish people donated more per capita than any other nation to the £40 million total by giving a staggering £7 million. Our reputation for generosity is something of which we should be proud and which we should protect by making sure money donated by people, usually out of the goodness of their hearts, is not siphoned off for a purpose other than the cause for which it was intended. The Government which has made the need for charity in society more urgent owes them that at least. The Bill attempts to protect the generosity of citizens by putting in place the proper safeguards for their selfless contribution. It is designed for two purposes: first, to enact the provisions of the 2009 Act. After the CRC scandals exposed last week, there was never a more opportune time to enact a Bill to ensure charities would carry out their financial dealings in a proper, transparent and administratively correct manner and that they would be given guidelines by which to do so.

The establishment of a modern regulatory framework for the first time, the charities regulatory authority, is as overdue as it is necessary. The ability to register a charity and have a template for its regulation will be a great relief to those trying to self-regulate the raising and charitable distribution of money collected from citizens. It will give a sound foundation to the generosity of the people and help to remove the doubts which have crept into people’s hearts in the past few weeks when they are approached to donate money, buy a ticket or contribute to a fundraising event. It will also provide protection for the very special kind of people who devote much of their spare time to raising money for charities throughout the State and who deserve to have their work regulated and certified as honest and scrupulous, which it is in most cases.

The Bill would provide for enactment to take place not later than the end of May. Why would we want to delay it any longer? It is already overdue. I particularly welcome the provision for the inclusion of the advancement human rights as a charitable function. It is a logical progression for anyone involved in fundraising for a cause to eventually ask himself or herself and then society why he or she should be out shaking buckets and selling tickets in order that people can have their human right to live as independently, comfortably and securely as is possible, despite physical, mental, financial or social difficulties. The best charities become a voice for those they try to help. It is a logical progression for those who care. The Bill would provide a framework that was a necessity up to last week, but after last week, it is vital. I urge Members of the House to support Sinn Féin's Bill and send a message to members of the public who have been badly shaken, disappointed and let down by the actions of a few that have come to light in the past few weeks.

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