Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

48. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the actions his Department has taken to date to reduce the need for community groups to register as a charity for the purpose of applying for grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23041/26]

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department delivers a wide variety of funding schemes that provide supports for community groups, regional bodies and national organisations across the country. These schemes include the Local Enhancement Programme, the Community Centre Investment Fund, the Senior Alerts Scheme, supports for Tidy Towns groups, Agricultural Shows, the Community Services Programme, the Scheme to Support National Organisations and the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme.

Depending on the qualification criteria for each scheme, applicants may be required to be registered charities to apply for funding. Further information on the qualification criteria for all of my Department’s schemes and funding programmes can be found at gov.ie.

The Charities Act 2009, as amended, sets out the conditions that are required for organisations operating in the state to apply to the Charities Regulator for registration. It is a matter for each organisation to decide whether it meets the requirements of the Charities Act 2009 to apply for registration as a charity.

The Charities Regulator is the independent statutory body responsible for regulating charities in Ireland. Its work includes registering charities, maintaining a Register of Charities, ensuring compliance with charity law and trustee duties in relation to the control and management of registered charities and carrying out investigations into the affairs of registered charities. The Regulator also supports best practice in the governance, management and administration of these organisations.

The proportionate regulation of charities is vitally important to ensure that Ireland has a vibrant, trusted charity sector that is valued for the public benefit that it provides.