Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I support the voices that have urged the Minister of State to reconsider his decision on excluding human rights as a charitable purpose. We are in the unusual situation of seeking to reinstate provisions which were contained in the Bill as originally drafted. These provisions were not removed at the request of any Opposition Deputy but by the very Minister of State who has responsibility for the Bill in the first place. I ask him to clarify how he can include human rights bodies within the definition of charitable organisations but subsequently remove them without explanation.

Like my colleagues and I, he has probably received submissions from Amnesty, FLAC, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Front Line, the Wheel and the Law Society. Apart from the Law Society, these are non-governmental organisations concerned with the advancement and protection of human rights nationally and internationally. This provision would be a severe setback for those organisations which have hitherto enjoyed charitable status. To make matters even worse, we are specifically excluding them from the legislation. That is a slap in the face to these organisations and their work on human rights.

The Minister of State also has responsibility for combatting drugs. He is doing a fine job in this regard and is well respected in the community that I represent. However, he should recognise the relationship between the scourge of drugs and the promotion of human rights and equality. It is important to have effective community based non-governmental organisations if we are to improve the quality of life from a human rights perspective.

I can see no apparent reason for denying charitable status to these bodies. They need such status to continue their activities as voluntary organisations. It is eminently reasonable, therefore, to allow them to continue as charities.

This country has recently witnessed a number of attacks on human rights and their promotion. The economic recession has carried over into that arena. We can see the effects on the Equality Authority, the Human Rights Commission and overseas aid, much of which is spent on the promotion of human rights. Our domestic legislation should reflect our appreciation of human rights both at home and abroad. In terms of the monetary returns of voluntary organisations, charitable status is essential.

I ask the Minister of State to explain why human rights advocacy was first included then removed from the Bill's provisions on charitable status. Has he entered into discussions with the human rights bodies to which I referred earlier?

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