A government review of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland has been attacked as a “whitewash” after the reviewer refused to meet community groups which have challenged CCNI decisions.
The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland announced a review of the governance of the CCNI in early August, and it is expected to report next month.
But Greg Burke, a volunteer with Probity, a group set up to help small charities which wish to challenge CCNI decisions, told Civil Society News that he does not believe the review will uncover a number of problems which exist at the CCNI.
Burke told Civil Society News that the reviewer, Arthur Scott, a senior civil servant, had refused to meet with himself and others who have concerns about the Commission.
He said that instead the review would meet only with “helper groups” who work with the regulator.
He said the CCNI has repeatedly caused difficulties for small charities in Northern Ireland, to the extent that the Attorney General in Northern Ireland has appealed against a number of the regulator’s decisions. He said that Probity had taken on work for a number of small charities which felt they had been unfairly treated.
But he said he did not believe that the review of the CCNI would address these issues.
“What is very clear to any mildly interested onlooker is that Mr Scott has chosen only those organisations that will support any view he cares to arrive at,” he said. “The review of the Commission as presently constituted will achieve nothing; the main losers will be charities their members and beneficiaries. The outcome is predetermined. Public trust in charities and the regulator will be damaged beyond that which it needs to be.
“This regulator broken many rules and no one wants to take responsibility for it. This is a fluffy, cuddly process which will only interview people who are on the gravy train. It won’t talk to anyone who’s had any experience of dealing with the Commission or is unhappy in any way.
“It’s a whitewash. It’s a waste of public money. It’s an abuse of the public purse.”
A Department for Communities spokesperson said: “The Minister for Communities, Paul Givan MLA, has commissioned a review of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland in respect of the discharge of its responsibilities under the Charities Act (NI) 2008.
"CCNI has not been subject to a strategic review since its establishment in 2009. It is best practice to seek assurance using a range of tools, including periodic reviews carried out by Departmental officials.
"The review’s main focus is to test assurance on whether CCNI and the department are operating effectively in their respective roles.
"Given the size and diversity of the charity sector in Northern Ireland, it will not be possible as part of this review to engage directly with a sufficient number of individual charities and interest groups to ensure a fair and representative view of the entire sector.
"The Review will consider existing evidence, compare other jurisdictions and engage designated helper groups to provide input on the sector and verifiable trends in relation to challenges; positive impacts and opportunities for any improvement in charity regulation."
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