Vol. 438 No. 3
27 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice whether her attention has been drawn to allegations that unscrupulous operators are abusing our charity laws to the detriment of genuine charities; the reason the Costello report has not been implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
The Committee on Fundraising Activities for Charitable and Other Purposes, under the chairmanship of the Hon. Mr. Justice Declan Costello, was established because of public disquiet and unease about possible abuses in fundraising for charitable purposes and because of alleged inadequacies in existing legislation in relation to fundraising and the way in which proceeds are accounted for and distributed.
The Programme for a Partnership Government contains a commitment to introduce tighter controls on charities and street collections, in line with the recommendations of the Costello committee report. Work on the preparation of the necessary legislation is proceeding in my Department and my proposals will be announced in the usual way in due course.
