Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise a very important issue in relation to Benefacts. The board of this non-profit analysis company has announced that due to the termination of support from its lead Government funder, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, its seven-year project to transform the transparency and digital accessibility of Ireland's €14 million non-profit sector will cease in February 2022. I think it is important to point out that many reasons are being given for this, but no Department seems to want to take the lead on it. A lot of public money has been spent on building up this very valuable resource and there is no alternative in place at the moment. What we are going to find, in February, is that all of this wealth of knowledge that is available in the voluntary and charitable sectors will be lost, after spending in excess of €6.3 million in State grants building it up over the last number of years. I ask that a transition arrangement be made.

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