Speaking at The Wheel’s National Conference for the Community & Voluntary Sector at Croke Park, Ivan Cooper Director of Advocacy at The Wheel said: “The new programme for government contains many commitments about improving lives and supporting communities. Ireland’s 11,500 community, voluntary and charitable organisations will no doubt play a key role in implementing these policies. We therefore call on the Government to prioritise the commitments in the new programme for government to develop a coherent policy for the community and voluntary sector, and to increase funding to support the sector,” said Mr Cooper.

 

Highlighting the significance of the sector, Mr Cooper added: “Ireland’s community and voluntary sector has a combined annual turnover of €5.7 billion, employs 100,000 people and involves half-a-million volunteers. These organisations deliver vital services in health and social care, education, community development, housing and other key areas. It is therefore essential that after years of cumulative cuts, the new government delivers on its commitments to ensure the sector is, well-funded, sensitively regulated and comprehensively supported. ”

 

Mr Cooper welcomed the appointment of Catherine Byrne TD, Minister of State for Communities & National Drugs Strategy: “Following the recent reorganisation of government departments, it was unclear where responsibility for ‘community affairs’ would rest in future. We therefore welcome the appointment of Catherine Byrne TD as Minister State with explicit responsibility for ‘community’, and we look forward to engaging with her on the important priorities highlighted in the new programme for government”.

 

Commenting on the appointment of John Farrelly as the new CEO of the Charities Regularity Authority Mr Cooper said: “We welcome John Farrelly to the helm of the Charities Regulatory Authority, and we look forward to seeing the Regulator’s new financial reporting requirements for charities”.

 

Over 200 charities from across Ireland attended the conference, hosted by The Wheel and sponsored by Ulster Bank. Sarah Dempsey, Head of Corporate Affairs & Economics, said: 

 

“We’ve been really pleased to support the work of The Wheel over the past four years.  It’s a great opportunity to build on our legacy of strong community partnerships and to reach and support the stakeholders in the not-for-profit sector. As a bank we’re proud of our strong legacy of giving back to our communities, and equally proud to be the principle sponsor of this event which gives all of us an opportunity to listen and reflect on the issues that matter to our communities.”

 

Relevant commitment in the Programme for Government (2016):

 

The Wheel is a national organisation that represents and supports community, voluntary and charitable organisations in Ireland. Founded in 1999, we currently have over 1,300 members across Ireland, reflecting the enormous scope and scale of this vibrant and diverse sector. See www.wheel.ie

 

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