Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The enactment of Part 4 of the Charities Act 2009, which gives the Charities Regulatory Authority statutory powers of investigation with respect to charitable organisations, is long overdue. It is a shame that the recent revelations regarding the charity Console and other instances of poor governance in the sector, including in the case of Rehab and the Central Remedial Clinic, had to be realised for the Government to finally enact this important legislation.

The financial irregularities discovered in a HSE audit of the charity Console are absolutely reprehensible and those involved should be subject to the full rigour of the law. For moneys to be taken from a charity set up to help families bereaved by suicide is both morally and criminally wrong. Many people have been affected by this scandal, including the family of the late Donal Walsh, who set up the Donal Walsh #LiveLife Foundation and donated €30,000 to Console to fund teenage counselling rooms in various locations across the country.

I call on the Health Service Executive to publish the audits it has carried out on 27 charities to ensure greater transparency within the sector. Confidence in the charity sector has suffered following the revelations about Console, and this confidence needs to be restored as charities play such a huge role in our society. There are hundreds of charities across the country that provide excellent services to vulnerable people, and we must ensure they are protected.

There are approximately 8,000 charities registered in Ireland. They vary greatly in the services they provide and the level of funding they receive. On that basis, it is important that the Government make provision for smaller charities and hundreds of community and voluntary groups, including community councils, social centres, meals on wheels services and smaller disability organisations such as CoAction West Cork, which have been run mainly by volunteers down through the years They are delivering for communities that are choked from under-funding. These organisations have already suffered huge cuts in funding in recent years. Additional regulations regarding spending will mean they may have to employ additional administrative staff and thus may not be in a financial position to continue providing services at the same level as at present. Many may go out of operation completely due to the pressure being heaped on them.

Console's clients should be given the opportunity to choose whether they wish to be transferred to another organisation and the organisation to which they might be transferred. They should have a choice regarding who receives their confidential client information, contact details and personal information. Console's final actions in winding down its operations ought to involve contacting its clients offering them the contact details of organisations that may be able to help them and are more suited to meeting their needs and that take into account their location. Clients should not be forced to engage with another organisation; the decision to use another service must be left with the Console clients at all times.

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