Irish Charities Future Directions in Regulation

Existing Regulatory Framework Statutory… Charities Act 2009 Charities Acts 1961 and 1973 Companies Acts Taxation Acts Education Acts Street and House to House Collections Act 1962 …and non-statutory Voluntary codes

Charities Act 2009 Supplements existing regulatory framework Introduces: independent regulatory agency comprehensive registration mandatory reporting and disclosure dedicated oversight, compliance, support

Charities Act 2009 The context for implementation Economic recession – Impacts on charities Impacts on Government Reductions in public spending Reductions in public service numbers Moratorium on public service recruitment Programme of agency rationalisation

Recent Developments Reaffirmation of commitment to implement the Charities Act July 2013 – Government approved plans for the establishment of a Charities Regulatory Authority in “…put in place a system of regulation that supports [charities] in playing [their] role as effectively as possible, and enhances the public trust and confidence on which all charities depend.” On a modest scale and made possible through planned introduction of registration fees. Board appointments process before year end Operational in 2014

Future Directions Core functions of Charities Regulatory Authority: Registration Compliance Education and Advice Commissioners Services How best to deliver these services in a context of severe resource constraints? Initial focus on Register of Charities and associated reporting Compliance Programme Development of support role - partnership? Continuity of Commissioners Services

Next Steps Appointments process for Board of Charities Regulatory Authority Authority operates in shadow form for an initial period Formal establishment of Authority Publication of register of charities Phased roll out of functions

“Transparency, accountability and good governance are at the heart of the Charities Act. Members of the public quite rightly want to have confidence that their donations to charity are being used as they intended. There is much that charities themselves can do to instil this confidence. I encourage all charities to be proactive in this, not least because in doing so they can ensure that they are well placed to meet the requirements of the 2009 Act as they are phased in over the coming years.” Minister for Justice and Equality, Alan Shatter, TD 10 July 2013