Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this debate. I thank Senator O'Brien, Senator Mac Conghail and the Independent group for making it possible. The Minister will be glad I am not going to throw any barbs at him. I welcome him to the House. I support the Bill and will not crow about the fact that my party brought in the original Bill in 2009. It is still not fully implemented.

I will use a few minutes to explain my knowledge of charities. Some Senators and some in the Visitors' Gallery may have heard of a charity called Féileacán, which is the Irish for "butterfly". I am embarking on a 13-mile walk next Sunday to raise funds for that charity. Today, primarily through Members of this House from all sides, I have gathered the bones of €800. It is very apt, for a couple of reasons. I will tell a little story to outline why. On 4 December last, at the Rotunda Hospital, my daughter-in-law was attending for what we believed was a very minor procedure. When I was entering this Chamber at about 9.15 a.m., I received a telephone call stating her life was in danger and that she was dying. She was pregnant with twin girls. I rushed over to be with her. At that time, the staff in the hospital had to intervene to save her life and, in doing so, she lost her twin girls. This is a true story.

Until that time, I had never heard of the organisation called Féileacán, which is a registered charity. I was totally taken by the support it gave, not only to my daughter-in-law but also to my son, and the way it managed the situation afterwards. My daughter-in-law was in hospital for a number of days because of the threat to her life. I am sincerely grateful to the staff at the hospital for saving my daughter-in-law's life, as are we all. She has another little girl to live for. She asked me whether I would do the walk next Sunday for Féileacán. The walk is known as the Bay Run and is from Glengarriff to Bantry. Unfortunately, because of my physique, age and lack of fitness, I will not be running, but I will certainly be walking.

My story indicates the purpose of charities. I walked earlier this year in the Skibbereen area for a cancer charity. Charities do tremendous work. I support what other speakers said in this regard. There is a small minority of charities that muddy the waters and do damage to the very foundation of Irish hospitality and generosity towards charities.

I acknowledge that the Government is not tabling an amendment to this motion. In some small way, my little story will indicate what charities are. I must confess I had never heard of Féileacán before 4 December last year. I am very glad to be in a position to walk for the charity. My sons, who are obviously a lot younger than me, are running. The walk will be my little gesture towards charities.

What I describe indicates the depth of feeling for various charities. Féileacán is probably not very well known but there are other charities that are very well known and also doing tremendous work. I acknowledge the tremendous generosity of the Irish people. Somebody suggested a turnover of €4 billion. There should be transparency and proper regulation, and I am sure the Minister will ensure this develops during his tenure.