Burton: Charities regulator must be a priority

Social Protection Minister Joan Burton has called for the establishment of a charities regulator to ensure transparency in the sector following outrage over the Central Remedial Clinic’s (CRC) admission that public donations were used to top-up salaries of nine staff members.

Joan Burton said she was shocked by the “drip feed” of revelations of how well paid executives were in receipt of top-up payments — money that was only raised because of the generosity of the Irish public.

She said the controversy had caused very serious damage to fundraising in the run up to Christmas and called for the Charities Act (2009), which provides for the office of a regulator, to be put into effect within the next six months.