Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2026
1051. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if, given the long delays experienced by some charities in having the sale of property approved; the number of staff within the office of the Charities Regulator; the vacancies within the office; whether staff levels are commensurate with delivering their duties in a reasonable timeframe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45044/26]
View answerThe Charities Regulatory Authority was established in 2014 and is the statutory agency responsible for registering and regulating all of Ireland’s charities, with the mandate to promote good governance practice. While the regulator is under the aegis of my Department, it is fully independent in the performance of its statutory functions.
Staff numbers at the regulator have increased from 40 in 2020 to 51 staff currently, with four vacancies.
The timeline for processing applications for sale of property or other matters depends on a number of factors. An application to the Charities Regulator for regulatory authorisation is an alternative to a High Court application and a similar standard of documentation is required. How long it takes to process an application depends heavily on the quality and completeness of the application, the type and complexity of the case, and the volume of other applications being processed at the same time.
Submitting an application to the regulator begins a three-stage legal process that is necessarily robust to protect the assets of a charity and the public benefit they provide. These stages involve a completeness check and legal review, consideration by the Charities Services Committee and final determination by the Board. In many cases, the regulator will raise queries or seek clarifications from applicants. These steps take time as they are legal processes and appropriate attention and care must be given to each application.
I believe that the staffing levels in the regulator are appropriate to carry out the duties and responsibilities assigned to the regulator. However, it should be noted that the regulator can, and does, include requests for additional staff as part of the annual Estimates process when necessary. These requests are considered as part of the wider Estimates process.
