Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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736. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of requests his Department received from the Charities Regulator seeking approval for the recruitment of additional and or replacement staff in 2024 and to-date in 2025; and of the requests received, the number that were approved, or are pending, in tabular form. [4345/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Charities Regulatory Authority (the ‘Charities Regulator’) was established in October 2014 pursuant to the Charities Act 2009. The Regulator is the State organisation responsible for registering and regulating all of Ireland’s charities, with the mandate to promote good governance practice.

The Charities Regulator is under the aegis of my department. It is important to note however, that the Regulator is fully independent in the performance of its statutory functions.

The Charities Regulator has a budgetary allocation in 2025 of over €5.9 million. This is an increase from the €5.3 million allocated in 2024 and includes budgetary provision for 54 staff members.

Requests for additional budgetary allocations, including allocations in respect of additional staff, form part of the annual estimates process and are subject to review and approval by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.

Separately, I am aware that the commencement of provisions contained in the Charities (Amendment) Act 2024 may require an additional budgetary allocation for the Charities Regulator, and this will be considered in due course as part of the annual estimates process.