John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)

I consider it key to this legislation that organisations that are not charitable in nature should be prevented from presenting themselves to the public as charitable. I want to be sure that donors to charity can be sure that their donation for the benefit of a good cause is not diverted for personal profit. In this context I am very aware of the disquiet that both Deputies and Senators have expressed about those pre-signed mass cards sold in shops and not obtained from or with the consent of the Catholic church.

There was no doubt that the pre-signed mass cards are widely for sale in shops and this practice has given rise to two big concerns. First, there are fears that these mass cards are often being sold on a for-profit basis with perhaps only a small portion of the purchase price, if any, given to the benefit of the priest or church. Second, there is a worry that no mass is ever offered in respect of the intention specified on the card.

Deputies will be glad to know that I have taken on board the concerns expressed to me on this topic and following consultations with the Office of the Attorney General, I am proposing an amendment to the Bill to the effect that anyone who sells mass cards must be able to show that he or she has entered an agreement with the church to do so. I hope this will set people's minds at rest on the validity and authenticity of such cards.

I consider that this measure, combined with the authority's power to provide information to the public through the likes of public information campaigns or guidelines, and also the provisions in the Bill that prevent non-charities from holding themselves out as charities, will help people to identify genuine charities from other organisations which are not charitable in nature. The church itself will have an important role to play to ensure the success of this approach and I understand that it is committed to playing its part.

Deputy Ring and I spoke about this in the Dáil on Report and Final Stages. I made a commitment we would continue to discuss it with the Attorney General and this is the amendment that we brought to the Seanad.

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