Charity regulation must be seen to be tough, fair and transparent

DEAR Minister Shatter,

Thousands of people are employed, either as workers or as volunteers, in the sector I work in. It’s one of the largest sectors in the country, and makes a huge and measurable contribution to the economy of Ireland. If my sector was one employer it could well be the largest employer in Ireland.

We call it the community and voluntary sector, others the charity sector. It doesn’t just employ people, it carries out critically important tasks. In many other countries, especially in the developing world, these tasks wouldn’t fall to charities. That’s because in those countries people are seen as having basic rights, and basic rights should never be dependent on charity.