Regulation of Charities

Charities in Ireland work in a complex legal and regulatory environment that may involve organisations interacting with:

The Revenue Commissioners
The Companies Registration Office
An Garda Siochana
The Commissioners for Charitable Donations and Bequests
Local Authorities.

The Charities Act 2009 was enacted to reform the law relating to charities and provides for the creation of a Charities Regulatory Authority and - for the first time in Ireland - a Register of Charities.

Alan Shatter TD, Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence (in whose Department the Charity Unit now sits) said In November, 2011 at a conference in Dublin "Realistically, I simply cannot see that we are in a position to fully implement the Charities Act on a statutory basis at the moment".

The Minister acknowledged the importance of the work being done by charities to protect vulnerable people and paid tribute to the thousands of volunteers who participate in this work. Minister Shatter went on to say "I am currently taking legal advice in terms of what might practicably be done within available resources, but, subject to this legal advice, and particularly given the long-stated desire across the sector for regulation, I would hope that we will be in a position to take steps to enhance the regulation of the sector".

When it is established, the Charities Regulatory Authority will assume the primary responsibility for regulating charities in Ireland.

The Wheel will be working closely with both our colleagues in the sector and with the Minister to see how we can achieve the objectives of the Act - to enhance public confidence in the Irish charities sector by increasing the transparency of Irish charities through a proportionate regulatory framework - in the absence of full implementation.

The full text of the Minister's speech is available here.

Further Reading

Find Out More

Reducing the Risk Good Practice Guide

Life is risky and community/voluntary/charitable organisations are not immune from risk. Risk can't be avoided, but can be anticipated and therefore planned for. By properly managing risk, the organisation can fulfil its potential and the negative effects of hazards can be reduced. If you've not already done so, now is the time to put in place risk management strategies that suit your organisation's needs. Order your copy.

Buy Now