John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

120. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the details of the structural review being undertaken by the Charities Regulator to determine the human and financial resources needed to optimally implement the Charities Act; when this review commenced; when it will be completed; if it will be published; the funding being made available for the regulator in 2017; the number of staff who will be employed by the Charities Regulatory Authority in 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34847/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Charities Regulatory Authority ('Charities Regulator') has commissioned an external review to examine the resources and structure required to fully implement the provisions of the Charities Act 2009. Its primary goal is to assess the resources and appropriate structure to implement the Authority's statutory remit and achieve its strategic objectives. I am advised that the process began in August of this year and it is anticipated that a report will be submitted to the Board of the Authority in the near future for its consideration. Subsequently it is anticipated that the review will be submitted to my Department for consideration. It is a matter for the Board of the Authority to decide if they wish to publish the review.

The Government is fully committed to ensuring that the Charities Regulator has the necessary resources available to achieve its goals and for this year, I made provision for a budget of €2.665 million compared with €1.419 million in 2015. This significantly increased funding has facilitated the recruitment of additional staff in key areas of the Regulator, including policy development, registration and reporting. The Regulator has also been funded to procure external investigation and forensic services and new office premises. I am determined to continue to ensure that the Regulator had the necessary staff and financial resources available to achieve its goals. To this end, I made provision for a budget for 2017 of €4.379 million, a further increase of €1.7 million over 2016 and representing an increase of over 200% since 2015 which, it is anticipated, will provide for any additional resources which may be recommended by the external review.