The Charities Regulator has established a Statutory Consultative Panel on the Governance of Charitable Organisations.

The Panel will consider how the administration and management of charities can be improved and make recommendations to the Regulator on the development and implementation of governance guidelines, codes of conduct or regulations.

The panel will also consider options and make recommendations to the Charities Regulator on how best to promote compliance by charity trustees with their duty to control and manage charities.

John Farrelly CEO of the Charities Regulator said: “Charities provide essential support and services to the most vulnerable in our society. It is precisely because of the work charities do, that it is so essential to the overall good of our society, as well as to the specific individuals they assist, that every charity is managed properly”.

The first meeting of the panel is scheduled to take place on the 30th March 2017. The work of the panel will include a public consultation process and will complete by the end of 2017. Following this, a final report will be prepared for consideration by the Charities Regulators’ Board, before being published.

Farrelly further stated “the work of the panel will enable the Charities Regulator to ensure that an appropriate governance framework for charities is put in place. Our intention is that all Charities will comply with the law with the least amount of regulatory burden so that the maximum amount of effort goes into service users and beneficiaries”.

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NOTES TO EDITOR

For more information contact: press@charitiesregulator.ie

 

The Charities Regulator

The Charities Regulator is an independent statutory authority, established on 16th October 2014 under the Charities Act, 2009. The key functions of the Regulator are to increase public trust and confidence in the management and administration of charities, ensure the accountability of charitable organisations to donors, beneficiaries and the public, establish and maintain a public register of charitable organisations operating in Ireland and ensure their compliance with the Charities Acts.

The Consultative Panel on Governance of Charitable Organisations is established by the Charities Regulator in accordance with Section 36 of the Charities Act 2009.

Charity Trustees

The expression “charity trustees” is an umbrella term for the people who ultimately exercise control over - and are legally responsible for - the management of a charity. Charity trustees must act in the best interests of the charity. The exact title in each charity may be different depending on its legal structure, so for example if the charity is a company, the charity trustees are the directors and other officers of the company.

Panel Members

Chairperson: Senan Turnbull - Charities Regulator Board Member

CRA Board Member: Patricia Cronin - Charities Regulator Board Member

CEO CRA: John Farrelly CEO - Charities Regulator

Charity CEO: Stephanie Manahan CEO - Central Remedial Clinic

The Wheel Nominee: Ivan Cooper - Director of Public Policy

Charities Institute Ireland Nominee: Lucy Masterson CEO - Charities Institute Ireland

Academic Nominee: Dr Oonagh Breen - Senior Lecturer in Law, UCD

Governance Expert: Professor Niamh Brennan - Quinn School of Business, UCD

Finance Expert: Teresa McColgan - PwC, Tax Partner

Corporate Governance Association of Ireland Nominee: James Kavanagh - Chairman CGAI

Department of Justice & Equality Nominee: John Laffan PO - Civil Governance Unit

Charities Commission of Northern Ireland Nominee: Claire O’Hare - Policy Development Manager

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