Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. As he rightly outlined, the existence of a vibrant and thriving philanthropic community is a very important element of civic society. In recent years especially, we have seen outstanding philanthropic work from individuals and organisations. Even at times of such difficulty and constraint Irish people have always managed to find the time and means to think of others. This is something we should be very proud of as a nation. Annual philanthropic giving to registered charities amounted to €108 million over the period from 2017 to 2018. However, research by Indecon notes that outside of Ireland there has been a decline in annual levels of philanthropic giving by international philanthropists. There was a decline of approximately €65 million from 2014 to 2019. How do we address this international shortfall? How will the Department's national philanthropic policy ensure we, as an island, do not become overreliant on international philanthropy?

See this speech in context