Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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1022. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of organisations on the Charities Register as at 31 December in each of the years 2014 to 2018, in tabular form; the number of organisations that were taken off the register as at 31 December in each year, in tabular form; the number of investigations carried out in each year in accordance with the Charities Act 2009; the number of imposed intermediate sanctions annually; the number of prosecutions annually in the period; the number of fines imposed annually; and the value of all penalties in each of the years 2014 to 2018. [54297/18]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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The Charities Regulatory Authority was established in October 2014 pursuant to the Charities Act 2009. The key functions of the Regulator are to establish and maintain a public register of charitable organisations operating in Ireland and ensure their compliance with the Charities Acts.

My Department has overall policy responsibility for the Charities Regulator. However, the Authority is fully independent in the performance of its statutory functions. Neither I nor my Department have any role in the decision making process of the Authority.

My Department receives regular updates from the Charities Regulator regarding the number of charities registered and de-registered. The numbers over the 2014-2018 period are as follows:

One of the functions of the Charities Regulator is to carry out investigations in accordance with the Charities Act 2009. Part 4 of the 2009 Act, which gives investigative and protective powers to the Charities Regulator, was commenced on 5 September 2016. Part 4 of the Act includes the powers to appoint inspectors to investigate the affairs of charitable organisations and to impose intermediate sanctions on charitable organisations in respect of which there is a contravention of provisions of the Act.

The number of charitable organisations in respect of which inspectors were appointed to investigate the affairs of the charitable organisations under Part 4 of the 2009 Act is as follows:

2016 - 1

2017 - 2

2018 - 1

The number of intermediate sanctions imposed on charitable organisations under Section 73 of the Charities Act 2009 is as follows:

2016 - 0

2017 - 1

2018 - 1

In 2017, the Charities Regulator secured one prosecution in respect of breaches of the provisions of the Charities Act.

The Charities Act 2009 does not provide the Charities Regulator with the power to impose fines or penalties. This is a matter for the courts.