Two State bodies block McVerry Trust inquiry
TWO State bodies have collapsed attempts by the Dáil Housing Committee to investigate the sustainability of homeless services in Dublin after the bailout of the Peter McVerry Trust.
The Department of Housing and the Dublin Homeless Regional Executive joined the Peter McVerry Trust (PMVT) last week in refusing to attend attempts by the Oireachtas Committee on Housing to ask questions about the bailout of the Peter McVerry trust.
The refusal follows the rejection by the McVerry trust the previous week to attend the Dáil to answer questions about the initial €16million bailout.
The Trust had received an invitation last month from the Joint Committee on Housing to attend a meeting tomorrow to discuss the context in which PMVT will operate ‘following the recent restructuring and emergency funding’. As part of the response to the bailout, the State’s charity watchdog has appointed inspectors after its chief, Helen Martin, determined a statutory investigation into concerns around finances and governance at the trust was warranted.
The Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA), which regulates non-profit housing bodies, is also conducting a statutory investigation into financial issues at the charity.
These include concerns about potential mismanagement of donor funds and the transfer of restricted funds from the charity to a private business.
PMVT is one the largest providers of homeless services in the State, with an income last year of about €60million, the majority of which comes from the State. Despite the concerns the Trust refused to attend the meeting.
It told the committee that, as they are currently subject to two statutory inspections, while those inspections are ongoing, it would be very limited in what it can say about the organisation.
Politicians were less than impressed, with one senior committee member noting: ‘This is the same three-card trick we have seen in so many other cases. We are being investigated so whilst we are being investigated we can’t tell you anything about why we are being investigated.’
Now the two main supervisory bodies over the discredited Trust have refused to appear before the committee.
In a letter, Graham Doyle, the secretary general of the Department of Housing assured the committee: ‘The Department would be very happy to assist the committee in its consideration of these issues. ‘But at present there are two statutory investigations under way by the Charities Regulator and the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority. ‘The Department therefore does not believe it would be appropriate to attend the committee while these investigations are ongoing. ‘But the Department would be happy to engage with the committee at a more appropriate time when the investigations have concluded.’ Replying to the invite Director of the Dublin Regional Housing Executive Mary Hayes said: ‘The DRHE understands the public interest in this issue and while wishing in every way to co-operate, we are of the view that it is premature at this point given the restructuring is only beginning. We would welcome attending at a later date when the restructuring work has progressed.’
Sinn Féin Housing Committee member Thomas Gould said: ‘We cannot have meetings cancelled. This is the most serious housing crisis in a generation. People
‘It’s the same trick we’ve seen before’ ‘Act of contempt towards the public’