Benefacts funding
Deputy Canney warned that Benefacts would cease after Government funding ended and said no Department was taking responsibility. The Taoiseach outlined the funding history and said an independent report had been commissioned on the matter.
I wish to raise a very important issue in relation to Benefacts. The board of this non-profit analysis company has announced that due to the termination of support from its lead Government funder, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, its seven-year project to transform the transparency and digital accessibility of Ireland's €14 million non-profit sector will cease in February 2022. I think it is important to point out that many reasons are being given for this, but no Department seems to want to take the lead on it. A lot of public money has been spent on building up this very valuable resource and there is no alternative in place at the moment. What we are going to find, in February, is that all of this wealth of knowledge that is available in the voluntary and charitable sectors will be lost, after spending in excess of €6.3 million in State grants building it up over the last number of years. I ask that a transition arrangement be made.
Comment on this
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has provided grant funding to Benefacts since 2015 in the order of €5.7 million. Benefacts was initially co-funded with philanthropy. However, as the Deputy is aware, in recent years, the Department has been providing the majority of funding following the withdrawal from Ireland of a major philanthropic sponsor. Benefacts has also received funding from other State bodies to a total sum of State funding in the order of €6.35 million. In 2019, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform received an independent report which it commissioned to provide analysis of the market for data on the non-profit sector. On foot of this report, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform undertook a review in 2020. At this time inquiries were made to establish potential alternative funding sources from other public bodies and departments. Due to Covid-19, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform sanctioned a three-month extension of funding to 31 March 2022. The Department for Rural and Community Development is currently exploring options for the establishment of a centralised database on the non-profit sector.