By Jennifer Hough
Tuesday, December 22, 2009: The Irish Examiner.
NO further funding will be given to a group representing survivors of institutional abuse until its membership proves they can manage public money appropriately, the Health Service Executive has warned.
The organisation Right of Place/Second Chance, based in Cork, receives large grants annually from the HSE. Last year, it was allocated €337,500, and since 2002 it has collected more than €2.2 million.
In August, members raised concerns with the HSE about how funds were being managed. It was not until October, however, that the HSE urgently sought specific details from the organisation’s founder Noel Barry.
Mr Barry has not yet responded, and in the meantime has been ousted from his position as chairman by a section of disgruntled members who claim they are the charity’s new committee.
Mr Barry, however, does not accept this and has obtained a High Court injunction locking them out of the charity’s headquarters on the Glanmire Road in Cork.
In a strongly worded letter to the new committee dated December 10, the HSE says it is “concerned and dismayed” at the situation and that clarity is urgently required.
“Time and space afforded by the HSE to various elements within the organisation to resolve their differences must cease. No new service agreement can be considered until matters are resolved, and given the vulnerability of the client group the sooner the better,” the letter states.
The new committee claims an AGM has not been held since it was set up in 1999, and also claims accounts to show annual expenditure and income are not distributed to members or made public. Detail of the structure of Right of Place is also being sought by the HSE.
In 2000, Mr Barry set up a limited company, Right of Place Building Project, which enjoys charitable status and of which he is the director. It is a separate entity to the members group Right of Place/Second Chance.
The new committee claims membership never knew of the existence of the limited company, and always believed the members’ group Right of Place/Second Chance had charitable status.
Deirdre Garvey, chief executive of a representative body of charities, The Wheel, said it was bad practice for someone running a charity to be on its board of directors.
The board of directors was there to oversee the staff and the running of the organisation in keeping with the principle of checks and balances, she said.
Last night, Mr Barry said he was not willing to comment as the matter was currently before the courts.
Anne
Following your comment on the 23rd of this month to Kathleen I am a survivor from the west of Ireland i am also in contact with several survivors most of them are in poverty as well. “Right of Place” in Cork under Mr Barry and “Right of Place Second Chance” have done absolutely nothing for survivors in the west of Ireland or any other group representing survivors. We are trying to get a centre open in Galway,without any help from government bodies and without any help from these so called organisations that are meant to be helping survivors. If there is anything I can do to help you or the other survivors you are in contact with please let me know by e-mail.
ALL THE GROUPS SHOULD BE investigated
To my knowledge R O P has not had a meeting in England since 2004 and as 40% of the survivors are in England who gave these people the right to represent me and the 40% that live in England.
May
Kathleen, Have you read my other posts??..I honestly cannot believe we are being conned by our own people.
I feel so angry and I speak on behalf of 12 other survivors that I am constantly in touch with. Many who are poverty stricken and in poor health.
We never received letters from these groups for Christmas party’s or anything like that so I wish someone could tell me where all this money has gone and most importantly where the recent further contributions from the “Religious” will go!!??!!
We need strong representation and I feel Paddy Doyle should lead the way…as I stated on other recent posts, we must organise a march to highlight the corruption and to make sure we are all compensated further.
My God we’ve earned every penny.
Best wishes
Anne
Finally, but has the horse bolted.
Questions
1. Did the Government Departments or H.S.E. (Health Service Executive) check the credentials of the Group Leaders and their knowledge of managing large amounts of money?
2. Has the H.S.E. at any time over the past ten years questioned or Audited these accounts, or questioned where these moneys were going?
3. What receipts are available?
4. Is it correct to say Funding was granted to the Group Leaders on the grounds that they support government sampling?
5. What will the Government do now?
Mr Barry allegedly set up a Charity and a Limited Company with the money allocated to him for Survivors.
The Tax payer in Ireland has been blinkered over these past ten years, paying out money like confetti and no questions asked.
As a Survivor I believe we were once again abused by the so called Group Leaders.