THE WWETB AWARDS
Regulation of charities
How are charities regulated in Ireland?
The Charities Regulatory Authority (Charities Regulator) regulates charities in Ireland. It maintains a public register of charities and monitors their compliance with the Charities Act 2009. This Act sets out what an organisation must do to be recognised as a charity and the legal obligations for operating as a charity in Ireland.
To be considered a charity, an organisation must:
• Operate in the Republic of Ireland (though its target group can be elsewhere).
• Exist for a charitable purpose and exclusively promote this purpose (a charitable purpose is a goal that is of public benefit).
• Not be an excluded body (such as a trade union, chamber of commerce etc).
The organisation must first give the Regulator information about itself, so the Regulator can assess if it meets the requirements to be a charity. If the Regulator approves the application, it awards the organisation charitable status, gives it a Registered Charity Number and lists it on the charities register. You can search the charities register on charitiesregister.ie.
It is an offence for an organisation to describe itself as a charity and carry out charitable activities, if it is not registered with the Charities Regulator.
The Regulator can appoint an inspector to investigate a charity’s affairs. The charity and its trustees must co-operate fully and give the inspector all the relevant accounts and documents.
The Regulator can choose to take a charity off the register – for example, if it fails to comply with its financial obligations or give the Regulator the information it requires. If you are concerned about a charity or its activities, you can raise a concern with the Charities Regulator.
Help for people in mortgage arrears
We’re way behind with our mortgage and can’t pay our other bills either. We’re afraid that the bank will take our home – they keep sending us letters. What can we do
You can contact MABS, the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, to get help under the scheme of aid and advice for borrowers in home mortgage arrears. Contact the MABS Helpline: 0761 07 2000 (9am - 8pm, Mon - Fri) or your local MABS office. This scheme is part of Abhaile, the national Mortgage Arrears Resolution Service. It provides a range of services to help you to deal with your situation, including financial advice, legal advice and insolvency advice.
Abhaile is coordinated by the Departments of Justice and Equality, and Employment Affairs and Social Protection. It is operated by MABS along with the Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI), the Legal Aid Board and the Citizens Information Board. Panels of qualified and regulated professionals provide services under Abhaile.
You will qualify for advice and assistance under Abhaile if: • You are insolvent – this means that you are unable to pay your debts in full as they fall due and
• You are in mortgage arrears on your home and
• You are at risk of losing your home (for example, if your mortgage lender has initiated repossession proceedings or indicated that they plan to do so; if they have said that they consider you to be non-cooperating; or if they have asked you to consider selling or surrendering your home) and
• The costs of staying in your home are proportionate to your reasonable accommodation needs
You can contact MABS to check if you are eligible for Abhaile (as eligibility is decided case by case). Read more about Abhaile on mabs.ie.
Further information on both of the above is available from the Citizens Information Centre below.