Immediate release: 7 November 2018, 3pm
STATEMENT: NEW CODE FOR GOVERNANCE FOR CHARITIES
The Wheel, the national association of charities, welcomes the publication today of the Charities Regulator’s new Code of Governance for Charities but calls on Government to streamline and fund compliance requirements.
Commenting on the launch of the Code of Governance for Charities, Deirdre Garvey, Chief Executive of The Wheel said, “High governance standards are key to maintain public trust and confidence in the work of Ireland’s 10,000 charities, and this new code is a welcome addition to the voluntary codes and standards that the sector has developed in recent years. It will be an important resource to help charities attain best governance practice”.
The Wheel notes that charities are facing many new compliance requirements from various agencies and that there are costs associated with meeting these requirements. Ms Garvey added, “The new Code places significant compliance and documentary requirements on all charities, additional to the many requirements that already exist. We are calling on Government to:
- initiate a process to streamline all the various compliance requirements, and
- ensure that Government agencies contribute to meeting the compliance costs of the organisations they fund.
“Charities welcome and have long demanded clear regulation and oversight. However, the state and relevant agencies must facilitate charities to fulfil their compliance requirements. We cannot afford to waste valuable public resources and volunteers’ time on unnecessary form filling and duplication. It needs to be streamlined now”, said Ms Garvey.
“The Wheel will be monitoring the impact of the Code of Governance on Ireland’s 10,000 charities. The feedback we gather should be included in a review of the Code following an initial roll-out period,” said Ms Garvey.
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Contact Gert Ackermann on 086 176 9287 or email gert@wheel.ie
About The Wheel
The Wheel is Ireland’s national association of community, voluntary and charitable organisations. With over 1,500 members, it is the largest representative body for the community, voluntary and charity sector. Visit www.wheel.ie for more information.
