Charities call for minister to represent them in Cabinet

The chief executive of The Wheel, the national association of community and voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises, has called on the incoming government to establish a Cabinet position to support the sector.

Deirdre Garvey told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that there needs to be strong engagement between the Government and charities as many have been severely impacted by Covid-19.

If the sector, which employs 180,000 staff and requires €15 billion every year, is to survive then it will need “tangible support” from any incoming government, she said.

Ms Garvey called for the appointment of a senior Cabinet minister to ensure sustainable funding. She pointed out that €7.5 billion of the funds required by charities come from the Government for essential services in health and social care. A further €7.5 billion was generated through fundraising and charges for services.

Later on Wednesday 500 charity leaders will gather online to discuss the impact of the pandemic on communities and the charity sector.

Ms Garvey said that while there had been extraordinary examples of community support and solidarity in recent times, charities had to cancel fundraising efforts and there were concerns about services being maintained.

“How will this be funded, and what can a newly formed Government do to support the sector?”

The online meeting of the charity leaders will discuss the collapse of fundraising income, the impact of Covid-19 on vulnerable groups, emerging needs of communities and the policies and government supports needed to sustain the work of the sector.