John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 26: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the consultation period and mechanisms he will put in place once the legislation to regulate charities is published to ensure that all stakeholders, in particular the charity and non-governmental sector, are fully included in the process. [22740/05]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 45: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he has consulted and informed the implementation and advisory group established to oversee the White Paper on voluntary activity; the reason for the delay in publishing the legislation; and if he will take steps to ensure its full participation in the consultation and legislative process once the draft Bill is published. [22742/05]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 26 and 45 together.

The proposed content of the future Charities Regulation Bill has already been the subject of an inclusive, public consultative process, undertaken in two stages over the period 2004-05. At end-2003, the Government approved the core legislative proposals for regulating the charities sector. Those proposals were set out in a consultation paper, entitled Establishing a Modern Statutory Framework for Charities, which was the reference document for the first stage of the consultative process in 2004. Furthermore, the specialist aspect of the draft legislation concerning trustee law reform was the subject of proposals from the Law Reform Commission. These proposals were set out in a further consultation paper, which was the reference document for the second stage of the consultative process in 2005.

The broad, overall public endorsement of the legislative proposals has served to confirm the direction to be taken with preparation of the draft Charities Regulation Bill. I remain committed to the inclusive, public consultation process that I have adopted to date. However, the Deputies will appreciate that following publication of a Bill, control of the legislative process, including any formal consultative processes, rests with the Oireachtas rather than with any individual Minister.