Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 10 July 2013

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform

Invest in Irish Job Scheme: Discussion.

3:25 pm

Ms Loretta Glucksman:

Well said, Caroline. As Mr. McLoughlin and Ms Fottrell are tired of hearing me say, I would like to take a point of view of personal privilege. I speak as a philanthropist. Lou and I came to Ireland approximately 27 years ago, not with an organisation but because my Hungarian-Jewish husband loved Ireland. We came to know Ireland and became very active. We never asked for anything. We never looked for any recompense. I could not put a price on the satisfaction we have had over those 27 years. That is what philanthropy is about.

I share the Deputy’s revulsion. I hate to sully it by making it a barter system. That offends me. However, I am very scared - I cannot say it as eloquently as Caroline said it - of losing this money with no reasonable source to replenish it. We have raised $140 million in the past four years. I cannot tell the committee how hard that was.

Mr. McLoughlin can because he did it, but it was very difficult. We cannot meet this need. There is a vacuum. So, one swallows and finds out where to look for new sources of income. Please, do not assume that I like it. There are downsides but the upsides are so phenomenally more important that I will swallow without giving up my own philanthropic principles.