Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I accept the Minister of State's point that the status quo will be respected in terms of charitable status. However, it is still beyond me why he is not prepared to accept a wording that provides specifically for the promotion and advancement of human and civil rights. Any of the areas that are covered do not cover the entire gamut of civil and human rights. There are organisations specifically dedicated to human rights. Amnesty International is one such organisation but its remit is not covered by the terms of this legislation.

The Minister of State says the status quo will not be interfered with but why not allow a wording that clearly underpins our commitment as a country to the promotion and advancement of human and civil rights? We are very strong in this regard on a domestic and an international basis, and we pride ourselves on having been to the forefront with the United Nations and the Council of Europe when they were established. We were also a founding member of Amnesty International when it was established for the promotion and advancement of human and civil rights.

Why not have it contained in the Bill? It is not doing any damage to the wording but it would do a lot of good and would reassure these organisations that their work is being respected by the authorities and the Members of this House.

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