Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There are two things I mentioned when I spoke a few minutes ago. I hope that we might achieve something today. The Minister might be able to help us on this. The threatening letters being sent out to voluntary organisations need to stop. They mention €300,000 and jailing. Obviously people need to comply but there needs to be an understanding that community voluntary organisations do not have management or staff. If the Minister of State will wait five minutes, I will have no problem going up to my office to get a copy of the letter, which I can show him. In the 30 years the organisation in question has existed, not one of its members has gone home with money in his or her pocket. The letter received by one member was not sent to the rest of the organisation's committee because I stopped it in time. It would have terrified and worried the board whose members are elderly.

The other matter is that if there is money to be taken from a community for genuine reasons, the elderly people just want to give up. They might have €2,000, €4,000, €6,000 or €8,000 in their accounts. I want to see that money go back to the community it came from because it was collected from the community. If the Minister does not have that information now, I have no problem with that. Where is the money that should go back into the community? Where has it gone? There does not seem to be any transparency in the Charities Act. I would like to know where this money has gone.