John McGahon (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to follow on from my colleague Senator Paddy Burke. This legislation is very much about bringing confidence to people who work in the charity sector but also to the members of the public who donate to it. That is the key aspect. The Minister of State said there are 11,500 charities in this country. I am amazed that the number is that high. When I was watching “The Tonight Show” two nights ago, the guests were talking about homelessness charities and it was said that there are approximately 24 operating in Dublin city centre, or Dublin itself. I was amazed at that figure, too. It shows how widespread the charity sector is. Therefore, appropriate transparency is required.While there are so many great charities that do such important work throughout this island and in our communities, there are going to be some charities that are not going to be able to do it well. They are the people who breach public trust. When they cannot do it well, whether in proper financing or auditing or having proper financial controls, the charity sector as a whole can get a bad name. The legislation today is really designed to provide that greater level of transparency for everybody, which is important. It also enhances the legal framework for the Charities Regulator, as the Minister of State mentioned, which is important to acknowledge.

On GoFundMe, I would be keen to hear the Minister of State's response to Senator Burke's queries. It is actually a great analogy of the charities sector itself. There are great examples of funds being raised very quickly for people in dire need. At the same time, there are other examples of GoFundMe appeals being raised for very questionable issues where people do not know where the money is going. We have seen some public examples in this country in the last 18 months to two years, where some people are saying the money was raised for them, others are saying it was raised for somebody else, and they are getting into disputes.

All in all, the basis of this legislation is about providing for that level of transparency to make sure there is rock solid confidence for those working in the charity sector and the public who are donating to it, and so that all of us in these Houses have confidence in a very important sector in this country.