Appointment of Charity Commissioners - 1 June 2009

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning, you are very welcome on what is a red letter day for charities in Northern Ireland.

Charities are involved in the fabric of all our lives whether it is our children belonging to a local sports club, a relative being cared for in the hospice, the family attending the local church  simply making a donation in the street.

All of these interactions have a number of things in common.

Trust - We trust charities, we see them as intrinsically good and positive.  Also accountable – we believe that they look after the resources they have. Spending money solely for charitable works.  We also expect that charities are well run, that when we make a donation it is to a real charity.

Unfortunately there are occasions when charities fall short of those principles  and  the public cannot be certain about the legitimacy of a charity or a charitable collection. Finding assurance has been absent in Northern Ireland until now.

We have been behind the times in Northern Ireland  in that we have not had a charity regulator. We have only what  could at best be described as light touch regulation. I have sought to change this, to provide that assurance and confidence both for the charities themselves and for the giving public.

Last September following my introduction of draft legislation to the Assembly, the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 became law.

I am particularly proud of this milestone – my own first piece of legislation and I believe the first piece of legislation delivered by this new devolved Government. At a time when politicians across the board are being pilloried for selfishness and greed (and some deserve it) I would like to pay tribute to political colleagues in all parties – especially those MLAs who as members of the Social Development Committee spent countless hours working through this Legislation line by line. The kind of hard work politicians do that never makes the headlines.

This for the first time provides a clear definition of what is a charity; for the first time it puts in place a register of all charities operating in Northern Ireland;  and isn’t a charity and it sets up for the first time a charity regulator – the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.

This new body will have considerable powers under the Act to regulate, monitor and where required investigate charities. It will  seek to support and encourage charities in the more effective and efficient use of resources, to improve their governance and to give confidence to people who  people to give for charitable purposes.

There will be a board of 7 Commissioners who will oversee and manage the new Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.

Today I have great pleasure in introducing the commissioners I have appointed.  I am aware that this competition attracted considerable interest and many high calibre candidates capable of fulfilling the role of commissioner. I have sought to achieve a strong balance of skills, knowledge and experience. And the new commissioners have these in abundance.

Ladies and gentlemen [not sure if there should be a drum role here] the Chief Commissioner is Mr Tom McGrath.

Deputy Chief Commissioner is Ms Paddy Sloan.

Commissioners are Ms Angela Chada, Mr Paul Cavanagh, Mr Philip McDonagh and Mr Walter Rader.

Unfortunately Paddy and Walter are on holiday at present and cannot join us this morning.

These people bring with them an array of skills and experience in the statutory, private and charitable sectors and I am confident that they will make a valuable contribution to the establishment and work of the Commission

You  will have noticed that there are only 6 names. One of the Commissioners must be a person with a particular legal background.  I intend to appoint such a person in the near future.

The challenge facing the new Charity Commission is considerable but exciting. And it will take time to establish the new body and put the various systems in place. My department will provide strong support to ensure it gets off to the best possible start. I know that we can  establish a Charity Commission for Northern Ireland which can provide that assurance and confidence in the charity sector that we all wish to see.

Can I finally extend my thanks to Lynda and the Barnardos staff for hosting this morning’s event and just before I call on  Tom McGrath to say a few words, quote from Margaret Mead the American writer who said:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

I’m not  suggesting that our new Commissioners will necessarily change the world, but I am in no doubt about their commitment and their ability and that they will be changing the charity world in Northern Ireland for the better in the time ahead.