Vol. 387 No. 5
asked the Minister for Justice if he will outline the terms of reference or directions which have been given to the committee recently appointed by him to investigate the law relating to charities in Ireland; if he will give details of the full membership of that committee; and whether any representative of the Commissioners for Charitable Donations and Bequests was appointed to that committee.
39.
asked the Minister for Justice if he will outline his proposals to deal with amendments to the law relating to charities.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 39 together. I have recently established a committee to examine the adequacy of existing statutory controls over fund-raising for charitable etc. purposes and to make recommendations to me for any necessary reforms in that area.
The terms of reference given to the committee are as follows:
To examine the adequacy of the existing statutory controls over fund-raising activities for charitable etc. purposes and to make recommendations for any changes considered necessary having regard, in particular, to the need to justify any consequential costs as well as any extra interference with individual freedoms.
The Hon. Mr. Justice Declan Costello is Chairman of the committee. I propose to circulate the names of the other members of the committee in the Official Report.
No representative of the Commissioners of Charitable Donations and Bequests was appointed to the committee because the commissioners have no functions in relation to fund-raising. They are primarily concerned with matters of a technical legal and financial nature in relation to areas such as the administration of charitable trusts, the appointment of trustees, the authorising of the sale of property for charity purposes and the advising of charity trustees where difficulties arise in the administration of their trusts.
However, the Rev. Canon Charles Carter who is a member of the committee is also a charity commissioner — his appointment to the committee was not as a charity commissioner but as the representative of one of the two main churches.
In advance of the committee completing their investigation and making such proposals for reform as they see necessary it would not be appropriate for me to comment on what specific legislative changes might be introduced.
The ordinary committee members are:
|
Fr. John Wilson |
— |
Catholic Church. |
|
Rev. Canon C. T. A. Carter |
— |
Church of Ireland. |
|
Mr. Michael Phelan |
— |
Society of St. Vincent de Paul. |
|
Dr. Donie Ormonde |
— |
Gorta. |
|
Mr. Michael Fingleton |
— |
Concern. |
|
Ms. Patricia Doherty |
— |
Union of Voluntary Organisations for the Handicapped. |
|
Ms. Susan Gageby-Denham, S.C. |
— |
Senior Counsel. |
|
Ms. Etain Doyle |
— |
Department of Foreign Affairs. |
|
Inspector Martin Crotty, B.L. |
— |
Garda Síochána. |
|
Mr. John Cronin |
— |
Department of Justice. |
|
Mr. Colm O'Neill |
— |
Department of Social Welfare. |
|
Mr. Con Mulvihill |
— |
Department of Health. |
|
Mr. Michael Murphy |
— |
Department of Finance. |
|
Mr. Kevin Drury |
— |
Revenue Commissioners. |
|
and the Secretary to the committee is: |
||
|
Mr. Peter Lennon |
— |
Department of Justice. |
