The Eastern Health Board is likely to review its funding of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children following controversy over its fund-raising and confirmation of a Garda investigation into the charity.
A growing number of Eastern Health Board members have indicated they will be raising the possibility of suspending funds, pending the outcome of the Garda investigation at board level. They want the EHB to conduct its own inquiry into the ISPCC and the effectiveness of its services.
A Labour TD, Mr Pat Upton, last night said he was supporting calls by fellow board members that the EHB review its funding for the ISPCC until the Garda National Bureau of Fraud Investigation has finished its inquiries.
It was necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the ISPCC childcare services, including Childline, and it should be done by independent experts commissioned by the EHB, he said. If the services were shown to be effective and useful, the State or the EHB should fund them. "They should not have to rely on the voluntary collection of money."
He criticised the ISPCC's "huge emphasis" on fund-raising and said the purpose of such an organisation should not be to fund-raise.
The cost of adequate child-care services was a very small fraction of the health board's budget. But there was a huge deficit in funding of such services, which should not be dependent on voluntary groups, he said.
The ISPCC receives annual grants from the EHB which are fully audited. It received £185,000 last year, the EHB's spokeswoman said. A total of £100,000 went to community/preventive child-care projects, and £85,000 to central administration. "No money was allocated to Childline," she said.
Ms Olivia Mitchell, a Fine Gael TD, said she would be raising the EHB's funding of the ISPCC, and specifically whether a moratorium on funding for the society by the board should be applied pending the outcome of the Garda investigation. "If there is a problem to the extent that the fraud squad is investigating the matter, we at least should ensure taxpayers' money is spent in a way it was intended."
She said that in the past, members had raised concerns about the effectiveness of Childline because it led to so few referrals to the health board.
Another board member, Ms Roisin Shortall TD (Labour), said it was an appropriate time to review all aspects of the ISPCC, including its accounting practices and the effectiveness of various campaigns to which the organisation committed large amounts of money. On the type of services it offered, she said she believed the ISPCC was primarily a lobby group.
The ISPCC chief executive, Mr Cian O Tighearnaigh, was not available for comment. The ISPCC has indicated it will not be commenting further pending the outcome of the investigation. It has expressed absolute confidence and trust in its management and staff. It has also indicated it is issuing legal proceedings against the Sunday Business Post, which claimed it had underestimated its street collections.
The paper yesterday claimed the ISPCC had bought a electronic money-counting machine to allay public fears following its allegations of underpaid commissions due to collectors. It also disputed much of the contents of a statement issued by the ISPCC on Friday.
