Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Farrelly and wish him well in his appointment. As he said in his statement, it is about ensuring that the public trust the charitable sector and that moneys go to where they are meant to go. In that context, there have been some high profile cases that have done a lot of damage to the charity sector.

It undermines the confidence of the public in the street donations to charities that are doing exceptional work, because there are questions and doubt in people's minds when they see high profile cases such as that of Console and others. From that point of view, when the Charities Regulatory Authority is assessing whether an organisation complies with the Charities Act, does it carry out a forensic analysis of its operation or, in the case of section 39 organisations, does it depend on the HSE to carry out that analysis and then report to the authority? How does the authority do it?

In that context, governance is very important. To be honest, many charities involve volunteers coming together for good causes and they might not have the required capacity or skillsets. Does the authority envisage itself being proactive in informing the charities of their obligations and providing its support to ensure they comply with the best standards of corporate governance? What measures is the authority taking to ensure they comply, as opposed to just finding out if they do not?