Inspectors appointed by the Charities Regulator have uncovered numerous structure and governance failures in Scouting Ireland and related charities.
A decision was taken by the regulator to appoint inspectors in January 2025 to look into the affairs of organisations under the remit of the organisation, following receipt of a number of concerns.
Gasóga CLG is a registered charity listed on the official Register of Charities, and the SI Unincorporated Association continues to exist despite a 2018 decision to wind it down.
According to the report published on the Charities Regulator website, the role of the unincorporated association is currently unclear.
Based on financial statements, Gasóga CLG appears to have assumed many responsibilities of its predecessor organisations, including Scouting Association of Ireland (SAI) and Catholic Scouts of Ireland (CSI).
The report notes "clear governance failings" in the failure to wind down SI Unincorporated, which it says has consequences for scouting organisations in Ireland as a whole. T.
Of concern to the regulator is the uncertainty over the ownership of several properties linked to scouting activities.
The report suggests that SI Unincorporated Association may still hold legal ownership of certain assets, despite not being listed as a registered charity.
Financial reporting for the association has also been inconsistent.
While it initially produced its own accounts, for a period, financial activities were absorbed into Gasóga CLG's reporting before it resumed independent reporting.
Inspectors found the situation deteriorated further in October 2023, when the majority of its trustees resigned, citing a breakdown in relations with Gasóga CLG and the failure to complete the planned wind-down.
Inspectors also examined 127 property files linked to three separate holding companies.
A breakdown in the relationship between Gasóga CLG and the Three Property Holding Companies "has also led to uncertainty around the beneficial ownership of a number of properties".
The report states that given the long and complex history of the various scouting organisations, there is a general lack of understanding of what has happened in the past and how the current state of affairs was arrived at.
"It appears that there have been a number of attempts to regularise matters, but for a number of reasons decisions taken have not been implemented and the strained relationship that now exists between the various entities is a complicating factor as to how the issues are to be addressed," it said.
The report has noted that the work carried out by the inspectors was not designed to identify all circumstances of noncompliance or other irregularity, if any, that may exist.
It says the report should not be construed as expressing opinions on matters of law, which are outside
of the inspector's expertise and for a court to determine.
