Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

My statement is defined by the fact that there is a criminal investigation. I am obviously limited in terms of the detail I can give. Under the provisions of the Charities Act 2009, however, the Charities Regulator works closely with other regulatory bodies and organisations to uphold the integrity of charitable organisations and trusts.

In late 2018, the Charities Regulator introduced the charities governance code, which sets out the minimum standards that charity trustees should ensure are met within their charity to effectively manage and control their operations. This includes core standards pertaining to the responsible management of a charity's resources and principles of accountability and transparency.

From 2020, the charities governance code became mandatory for charities and as of 2021, charities will be expected to report directly to the Charities Regulator on their compliance with the code. This is an important step forward in strengthening governance in the sector.

In addition, work is ongoing in my Department on amendments to the 2009 Act. As I mentioned earlier, this is at an advanced stage. It is vital that these developments take place with the input and co-operation of the charities sector. My Department and the regulator continue to work together in this regard to improve public trust in the sector.

I can confirm that the Department of Rural and Community Development has not funded Bóthar in the past. I will also say that in this instance, the system worked. A report was made and the Charities Regulator started to investigate. Informal investigations were then launched, which has brought us to this stage. Much of what is essentially white-collar crime can be difficult to detect and as with much other crime, we are dependent on the public to assist the gardaí in detecting instances like this. In this case, however, the system worked and the regulator did its job, notwithstanding the accounts we are hearing in the media at the moment.

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