Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I welcome these amendments to the Bill, but this new section in particular. I apologise for not being here earlier; I was at a committee meeting.

Much needs to be done in this area and, hopefully, this legislation will address the problems of non-charities purporting to be charities. Anybody living in Dublin will know the amount of supposedly charitable organisations who are looking for donations, for clothes or whatever. Hopefully, that will be ended and the charities who are in dire need of the donations will get them. In this case the church would get the money, as intended, so that it can function properly and is not dependent on the State.

People setting themselves up as charities selling mass cards which do not do what they are supposed to do amounts to robbery. I welcome this amendment and the provisions in the end of this Bill to address these shortfalls.

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