Marie Louise O'Donnell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Tánaiste for attending and assuring me that Part 4 will be commenced on 5 September. The challenge is significant, but there is also a challenge to the Government not to delay or shelve. The 8,000 charities and 12,500 organisations are performing a public service and the Government rightly backs them, so it is up to it to protect the money that it and the ordinary person on the street give them. Any undermining of charities should be regulated against.

The regulator should not have to beg for regulation or resources; they should be available. The Tánaiste might address my point, one that may be creative, to the effect that all charities should pay a small levy to go towards an office that the Tánaiste rightly stated would be large, as is the case in many sectors. This has grown into a large sector.

I accept the Tánaiste's response. I would have liked these measures earlier, but I understand that would not have been as easy. This may be a lesson that leaving regulations on shelves for too long can have terrible ramifications for the ordinary person on the street.