John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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100. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if, since the recent commencement of Part 4 of the Charities Act 2009 she will outline the increase that has been made to the staff in the Charities Regulatory Authority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27612/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Charities Regulatory Authority (the Charities Regulator) was established in October 2014 to regulate all charitable organisations operating in Ireland as provided for in the Charities Act 2009. Part 4 of the Act providing for new investigatory and enforcement powers allowing the Regulator to investigate the affairs of a charitable organisation and to take enforcement action if necessary was commenced on 5 September 2016.

As of the 26 September 2016 the current headcount of the Charities Regulatory Authority has increased to 30 and a budget of €2.665 million has also been allocated to the Regulator for 2016, compared to a budget of €1.419 million for 2015. This increased funding facilitates the continued recruitment of additional staff in key areas of the Regulator, including policy development, registration and reporting, compliance and investigations and communications. I am determined to ensure that the Regulator has the necessary staff and financial resources available to achieve its goals. To this end, I approved a proposal from the Regulator to undertake a structural review to determine the human and financial resources needed to optimally implement the Charities Act. This review is currently underway and its outcome will inform future decisions on the resourcing of the Regulator.

I am advised that further additional staff, at various grades, are due to be appointed to Authority in the coming weeks in order to ensure that the Authority is adequately resourced to undertake its functions. I can assure the Deputy that the regulation of the charity sector remains a priority for this Government.