Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Martin for all the documentation. I am glad that the Comptroller and Auditor General mentioned Trinity. It decided to consolidate its accounts in the past few years; it is a new step and is an example to other universities.

Ms Martin has an extremely important job. The figures she gave in her opening statement are extraordinary, with over 10,000 charities, almost 66,000 trustees and €14.5 billion, not to mention almost 190,000 volunteers. It is an extremely important area on every level, both on an economic level and on a psychological level for the work being carried out, and there is also what volunteers get out of it.

I will follow on from the last Deputy's concerns. In her opening statement, Ms Martin noted "In 2018, we received ... 686 concerns, which was an increase of 29% on the previous year." If we have learned anything in recent years, it is how difficult it is for someone to complain. It is not in the interest of someone living here to complain, they suffer as a consequence. That is why the processes and procedures need to be robust. The breakdown of the figures as to where the concerns are coming from is key to help the regulator, as an organisation, to deal in a more proactive way.

We should be relying on whistleblowers and individuals to come forward as a tiny piece of the jigsaw. The regulator is the vital piece in this and the Act is from 2009. It is no reflection on the witnesses but it was years before the regulator became operational. We are still waiting on amending legislation, and that is our fault. Within this, what risk assessment has the organisation carried out to identify the areas that are suffering or exposed because the regulator does not have a full staff complement?