Results 3,081-3,100 of 3,336 for speaker:Kate O'Connell

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Without Ms Martin commenting, it seems clear from the evidence I have been given that this charity is working completely outside the rules. It is not registered but it is active and collecting money. It has cash on hand. It is flouting some of the recent legislative changes in this country, which is a serious problem. The Charities Regulator was contacted some months ago about it. I...

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Ms Martin cannot comment on it. Does the Charities Regulator have parameters or rules from point of complaint to point of processing to point of response? Does it work within timelines or does it take as long as it takes?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Sorry?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: What other criteria are in the risk rating? Surely a charity that purports to offer counselling services to vulnerable women would ramp up the risk rating, would it not?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Very high risk, I would imagine. That would be the highest risk. There would be an assumption that a charity would be out for the good of people and operating within best practice. There is no question that there is a charity that purports to offer professional care to people under a charitable heading when it is not a charity. This is extremely serious. What role does the Charities...

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: At the end of the day, people walking down the street at Christmas who have a bucket shoved in front of them will not go onto the phone to check the register. They will just throw the money in the bucket and keep going.

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Mr. O'Halloran mentioned that an audit must be done if there is more than €100,000. Is that profitability or turnover?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: With regard to the board, similar to Deputy MacSharry, I am uncomfortable with the fact that somebody on the board of a charitable organisation also sits on the board of the regulator. I was not aware of this until this meeting and I do not believe it is in any way appropriate. Is there any other example where the regulated are on the board of the regulator? It is concerning if it is a...

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: That is different. This is regulation.

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: It is totally different.

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: We have had many groups here but this is a regulator. It is a statutory role. I believe that even a family member or spouse on the board would be inappropriate. We need expertise on boards and retired people and people to come from other places but if somebody is actively sitting on the board of a charity and actively sitting on the board of the regulator that is supposed to be regulating...

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: How is the advancement of religion quantified? Who can tick that box? Does Scientology have charitable status? Does that religion have charitable status in Ireland?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: In terms of religious entities getting charitable status in recent years, how many more religions are in the mix now as opposed to a few years ago? Is the Charities Regulator constantly getting applications or is it just every so often? How significant is this new religion stuff?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: There is a push now to grab the world market and there is a lot of money to be made out of climate issues by some companies. How does the Charities Regulator assess what is on the right or wrong side? Whose skill set is that? It is a bit like the religion issue. It is subjective. If a company purports to be the greenest of them all, who assesses this? What is the level of expertise?...

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: This is the problem; we do not have governance over how much people are paid. We can all make no profit if we pay ourselves enough, as I have said here before. If the regulator does not have any remit in determining a standard for what people are paid, it is very easy for people to not make a profit if they pay themselves enough.

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Before they have the money to feather their own nests.

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Does the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, have any role in this area? Does the Charities Regulator interface with it? Let us take for example an Irish private hospital that provides counselling services. It pays its taxes and is not a charity, just a private hospital. The company I mentioned, which provides bogus counselling, is pulling people away from this...

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Is there such an interface in respect of anything? Does the regulator have any dealings with the commission?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Mr. O'Halloran mentioned State-funded childcare. With regard to preschool children, the early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme and so forth, do childcare providers operating under charitable status receive ECCE payments?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Financial Statements of the Charities Regulatory Authority (21 Nov 2019)

Kate O'Connell: Must these have 100% State-funded ECCE payments with no private element?