The Revenue Commissioners have withdrawn charitable status from the Irish Stroke Foundation. Those involved in the Stroke Foundation could not be contacted for comment today. Meanwhile, the Department of Finance who gave the foundation a grant of £20,000 last year said that they were considering the matter.
On April 20, RTÉ News told the story of the dubious charity, the Irish Stroke Foundation. Mark O'Neill was said to be the contact for the charity, but he claimed to be just a fundraiser. Through his scratch card lottery sales he said he raised £20,000 for stroke victims. Yet RTÉ learned that £18,000 of that went towards administration costs. The genuine workers of the Volunteer Stroke Scheme tried in vain for over two years to get the foundation stopped through official channels. While they welcome the Revenue Commissioners' decision, they say that it is something of a token gesture
Since last April, Mark O'Neill has also ceased working as a fundraiser for the Asthma Society of Ireland, but he also managed to get £20,000 from the Department of Finance as part of the charitable lottery scheme last year. This evening the Department said that the Foundation complied with conditions of the scheme at the time. In a statement they said that, in the wake of the Revenue Commissioners' decision, they were now considering the question of this grant. Five other charities have had their status withdrawn this year.
