Mr. John Farrelly:

I have not seen any evidence of it, although I was only appointed on 16 May. Transparent processes should apply to the commissioning of services. Charities are entitled to make an income to serve their charitable purposes, provided they are in compliance with charities legislation. They work in a gap that has been there since the dawn of time and regulators should not prevent them from doing things that help them to serve a charitable purpose. I presume that commissioning, if and when it is introduced in Ireland, will involve ensuring everything is procured fairly. My office must procure everything through a Government framework and in a transparent and accountable manner. The criteria applied to procurement should include the type of entity involved. Decisions should be based on value for money and capability.