Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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549. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps he is taking to strengthen the capacity of the Charities Regulator, in particular to support smaller volunteer-led charities and community groups who are struggling with governance and compliance obligations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68541/25]

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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The Charities Regulator was established in October 2014 pursuant to the Charities Act 2009. It is the statutory body responsible for registering and regulating all of Ireland’s charities, with the mandate to promote good governance practice.

While the Charities Regulator is under the aegis of my department, it is fully independent in the performance of its statutory functions.

In its 2025-2027 Statement of Strategy, the Charities Regulator acknowledges the diversity within the charitable sector with some charities employing thousands of staff and others being entirely volunteer-run. In its strategy, the Charities Regulator recognises that its approach must be proportionate and appropriate to the size and capacity of the charities it is dealing with, while still upholding and respecting the laws that govern charities in Ireland.

The Charities (Amendment) Act 2024 revised and updated previously existing charity legislation and, when fully commenced, will improve the ability of the Charities Regulator to conduct its statutory functions. This will provide greater transparency, clarity and fairness in terms of the regulation of charities, leading to greater public trust and confidence in the sector. This transparency will also help smaller, volunteer-led charities as their responsibilities and obligations, and those of their trustees, will be clearer.

The Charities Regulator frequently provides information through webinars, guidance documents and templates for trustees and organisations to ensure they are fulfilling their duties and obligations. The regulator provides an FAQ document and training videos to assist charities to comply with the Charities Governance Code. The Charities Regulator also provides sample codes of conduct for volunteers and employees working with charities.