Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 17 Nov 1998

Vol. 496 No. 6

Written Answers - Charitable Organisations.

John Gormley

Question:

385 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the proposals, if any, he has to address the concerns articulated in the 1992 Annual Report of the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General that the absence of legislative provisions requiring charities to account for their fundraising activities and the absence of a statutory body with which charities could be registered could result in obvious opportunities both for direct fraud and also for malpractice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23614/98]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

The report to which the Deputy refers does not, so far as I am aware, draw the conclusions which he attributes to it. In any event, I have already indicated on a number of occasions in response to questions that a commitment to bring forward legislation on the administration and regulation of charities, along the lines of the report of the committee on fundraising activities for charitable and other purposes and of the subsequent report of the advisory group on charities-fundraising legislation, is included in the Government's legislation programme announced by the Chief Whip on 28 September 1998. The details of such legislative proposals will be announced in due course following their approval by the Government.