Minister extends charity deadline

A charities umbrella group has claimed that less than 5% of voluntary groups have signed up to strict transparency rules to prevent another CRC or Rehab crisis because of “government inaction” on the issue.

Charity representative group The Wheel made the accusation after Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said she has been forced to extend its sign-up deadline by 12 months because just 200 out of 4,000 charities have complied to date.

As part of moves announced last year in the wake of the Central Remedial Clinic and Rehab charity top-ups scandals, the Department of Justice established the Charities Regulatory Authority to oversee the sector.

The independent government group is tasked with ensuring charities complied with key rules, including publishing their accounts online, signing up as officially registered charities, revealing top-level pay rates and strengthening fair governance structures.

Last autumn, all charities were given until this month to agree and implement the new rules, and warned they faced grant cuts and significant fines if they failed to act.

Ms Fitzgerald blamed the extension on feet-dragging on the issue.

Ivan Cooper, director of advocacy at The Wheel — an umbrella group which represents 1,100 charities nationwide — told the Irish Examiner the delays are due to Government inaction.

Mr Cooper said 8,000 charities were signed up before the CRA was established, and that the 200 and 4,000 figures relate to small groups, many of which “don’t know they are even charities”.

He said Ms Fitzgerald needs to “raise awareness” of the regulatory requirements, but claimed this is proving impossible because the CRA has just a dozen staff to cover the sector.

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