Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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96. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the engagement he has had with Government colleagues with regard to the impact that online scamming can have on the genuine fundraising measures of community and voluntary organisations in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14371/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Online scams are a cause of concern for government and for all reasonable people. Moreover, where a scammer holds themselves out to be raising funds for charitable purposes, the damage they may do to the reputation of the not-for-profit, community, voluntary and charitable sectors can be significant. In the course of drafting the Charities (Amendment) Act 2024, officials at my Department had significant engagement with senior stakeholders, including other relevant government departments, at which these concerns were discussed.

It is an offense for any person or organisation to refer to themselves as a charity where they are not a registered charity. I would encourage anyone thinking of donating to first check the national register of charities at www.checkacharity.ie to make sure they are giving to a registered and regulated charity. I would also urge anyone who is concerned about a scam or fraud to report it to An Garda Síochána.

The Charities Regulator, under the aegis of my Department, is the statutory body responsible for registering and regulating all of Ireland’s charities, with a mandate to promote good governance practice. Concerns in relation to charities in particular may be raised with the Regulator and I am assured that all such concerns are addressed. Where breaches of charity legislation are identified, the entity is contacted with a view to addressing such breaches.

It should be noted that charities are only one type of not-for-profit organisation. The main distinguishing feature of a charity is that it must provide a public benefit. This would often exclude, for example, online fundraising that is for the benefit of an individual.

While my Department has responsibility for governance oversight of the Charities Regulator, the Regulator is fully independent in the performance of its statutory functions under Section 14 (3) of the Charities Act 2009. Neither I nor my Department have any role in the decision making processes or operational matters relating to the work of the Regulator, including the registration of charities. These are entirely a matter for the Regulator.