The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs has been given responsibility to deliver on a commitment made under the Agreed Programme for Government 2002 to comprehensively reform the law in relation to charities.   Links to relevant legislation and Consultation documents:

• Charities Act 1961
• Charities Act 1973
• Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2002:  Part 2 of this Act contains amendments to Charities Act 1961
• Establishing a Modern Statutory Framework for Charities - Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Consultation Paper, December 2003
• Regulating Better:  A Government White Paper setting out six principles of Better Regulation, January 2004
• Consultation Paper on Charitable Trust Law - Law Reform Commission, February 2005
• Consultation Paper on Legal Structures for Charities - Law Reform Commission, December 2005
• General Scheme for the Charities Regulation Bill 2006:  Press Release (9 March 2006) 
• General Scheme for the Charities Regulation Bill 2006:  Full document (309 pages)
• Report - Charitable Trusts and Legal Structures for Charities (LRC 80-2006) The Law Reform Commission 2006, First Published October 2006, ISSN 1393 – 3132
• Irish Charities Tax Research Ltd: Set up in 2000 by its sister organisation, the Irish Charities Tax Reform Group (ICTRG) with the specific aim of providing research, information, and education on taxation and regulation issues that affect charities in Ireland. 
• Irish Charities Tax Research Ltd. Consultation document "Regulation of Fundraising by Charities through Legislation and Codes of Good Practice" (Sept 2006).
• Charities Bill 2007 - presented to the Dail on 12 April 2007
• In parallel with the legislative framework, Irish Charities Tax Research Ltd. produced a report “Regulation of Fundraising by Charities through Legislation and Codes of Practice” in May 2008.
• Charities Act 2009 - Enacted in February 2009 and signed by President Mary McAleese on Saturday 28th February 2009.

• This links you to five of the papers presented at the Law Reform Commission’s
  Annual Conference 2005, Guardianship: A New Structure for Vulnerable Adults
• Consultation Paper on Vulnerable Adults and the Law – May 2005
• Consultation Paper on Law and the Elderly – June 2003
• Report on Vulnerable Adults and the Law - December 2006 - LRC 83 - 2006

Scheme of Mental Capacity Bill 2008 - 5 September 2008
To reform the law on mental capacity, taking into account the Law Reform Commission's Report on Vulnerable Adults and the Law
Publication Expected: Late 2009

• Guide to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005:  This Guide is aimed at safety and health practitioners, employers, managers, employees, safety representatives and others to give guidance on the 2005 Act. The objective of the Guide is to give general guidance aimed at the prevention of occupational accidents or ill health. It is not intended as a legal interpretation of the legislation. 
   
• A Short Guide to the Act:  This booklet is designed to provide a brief overview of the responsibilities of key stakeholders including employers and workers under Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005.
  
  
• Paper on Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 prepared by : Eileen Costello-Conneely, Quality Co-ordinator, Ability West (formerly known as Galway Association).