Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. O'Connor to the meeting and apologise for being late. I was not expecting the traffic to be so bad this morning. This is my first meeting of the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality and while I am a little nervous, I am delighted to be here. I do not have a specific question for Mr. O'Connor. I simply wish to congratulate him on his appointment. He is highly skilled, which is fantastic because the job requires a lot of skill.

I welcome the establishment of the tribunal. My background is in the charity sector and I know of the difficulties faced by charities. I also welcome the establishment of Charities Regulatory Authority because it is time for charities to get organised and to sort out their fundraising principles. As we all know, recent times have been very difficult for the charity sector. I think this development is fantastic and I look forward to observing the tribunal in action and possibly even working with Mr. O'Connor at some point. I imagine Mr. O'Connor is facing into a busy time.

To take up a point made by one of my colleagues, does Mr. O'Connor believe that there will be a lot of appeals? What is his feeling on what will happen going forward? Will there be many charities trying to see what is going on? The Charities Regulatory Authority is only starting up now, in effect, and getting organised. The issue with Console has made everyone more aware of what is going on. What is Mr. O'Connor's feeling on how this will progress? Will many charities use the tribunal?