Establishment of Charities Regulatory Authority

The Charities Regulatory Authority (CRA) was established on 16 October 2014 under the Charities Act 2009. This new Authority is an independent agency of the Department of Justice and Equality and is charged with increasing public trust and confidence in charitable organisations. 

The CRA has a range of statutory functions. These will be introduced incrementally, starting with the compilation and registration of all charities operating in Ireland. All charities operating in Ireland must now be registered on the Register of Charities. Those charities with a valid tax exemption (CHY number) will be automatically registered with the CRA. However, if a charity does not have a CHY number they must apply to the CRA to be registered. Charities will be required to provide information on their activities and how they are funded. This information will be available to the public in line with increasing transparency and confidence in the sector. 

The Establishment Order of the Charities Regulatory Authority can be found here http://www.charitiesregulatoryauthority.ie/Website/CRA/CRAweb.nsf/0/F89D59CC50C0FAC380257D720044C983/$File/SI4562014.pdf