Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for that. I was looking at the correspondence from the CSO last night, which raises a number of issues. It states clearly that a significant source of information and data for the national accounts and statistics had greatly improved the quality of information on the non-profit sector that had been included in these results. It goes on to say that, in general, compilers of official statistics have always found this sector difficult to measure, given its diversity. Yet, Benefacts was doing that.

Going further, we reach the point the Deputy alluded to. The letter says:

Work planned by the Department of Community and Rural Affairs on social enterprises data collection could be a partial replacement data source, as would data held by the Charities Regulator. However, these data sources would not cover all of the detail (i.e. the variables/ items of information about each entity) available in Benefacts.

From my memory of previous correspondence on this issue - and members of the committee might correct me on this - there was a figure of €6 million over six years. Funding for this was less than €1 million a year. The Central Statistics Office, CSO, which is the gold-standard body for dealing with these matters, very much depended on this for some information. I am at a loss as to what happened here with Benefacts. It is deeply concerning. Is there something we do not know? When we have the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform before us, we need it to explain this.