Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Petition No. P00030/24, entitled "Request for Oireachtas Investigation into IHREC Funding Allocation", was submitted by Mr. Brian Hogan. This petition relates to the funding allocation and potential conflicts of interest regarding the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC. Under the 2022 gross Estimate provision for Vote 25, the IHREC received Exchequer funding of €7.614 million, with €4.356 million allocated for pay-related expenditure and €3.258 million for non-pay expenditure. The recent revelation that a charity received a grant from the IHREC has raised concerns. The petitioner sought clarification from the IHREC on these matters but unfortunately received a vague and generic response that did not address the issue of transparency and the safeguards that are crucial in the handling of public funds. He says that this lack of clear communication and transparency is disconcerting and raises questions about the IHREC's commitment to accountability. He hopes it is not another RTÉ situation and, as such, urges the Oireachtas to initiate a thorough investigation into these matters to ensure the integrity of IHREC operations and the proper use of public funds. The petitioner says that this apparent overlap between the IHREC funding allocation and the involvement of a member in a beneficiary organisation is a matter of public interest and requires careful scrutiny. He requests a transparent and comprehensive investigation to maintain public trust in the IHREC.

The secretariat has sought the views of IHREC and received a response on 21 March 2024. The committee recommends that we publish the response from IHREC and that the correspondence be forwarded to the petitioner for information. It is also recommended that we attach a detailed response to a query from Mr. Hogan on 14 November 2023. The petition cannot be progressed further by the Joint Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen and should be closed and that the petitioner advised of same. The name of the charity should not be published. Do members have any views or is that agreed?