So-called "charity muggers", or "chuggers", face penalties under new legislation and planned codes of conduct if they are found to have harassed or intimidated members of the public.
Government officials are also examining ways of clamping down on individuals who sell fake Mass cards or organise fake charity clothing collections.
Addressing a meeting of an Oireachtas committee yesterday, Minister of State for Community Affairs Pat Carey said the forthcoming Charities Bill would for the first time require "non-cash" charity collectors to have a permit.
These paid street fundraisers, a significant source of revenue for many charities, typically seek members of the public to sign up to regular direct debits by providing collectors with their bank account details.
Mr Carey said Garda superintendents will be able to refuse to issue permits if they feel a member of the public has been "excessively importuned".
However, he declined to accept a proposed Labour Party amendment to the Bill, despite concerns raised by members of the Select Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs that senior citizens in particular may be intimidated by unscrupulous "chuggers." The amendment would have allowed a Garda chief superintendent to refuse or revoke a non-cash collection permit where they believe the applicant had conducted, or was likely to conduct, themselves by way of "harassment, intimidation or assertive collecting. "
But Mr Carey said consultations with the charity sector were already taking place on the drawing up of codes of conduct for various areas of the sector. This would specifically include "non-cash" collectors.
It is understood that, under the planned codes of conduct, such fundraisers would typically be required to commit to a complaints mechanism and monitoring of their activities.
While it is expected such codes would be operated voluntarily, Mr Carey would also reserve the power to seek to introduce them on a statutory basis if necessary.
Responding to concerns raised by committee members about the increasing prevalence of unscrupulous individuals seeking to collect clothes for recycling, Mr Carey said church authorities had also raised with him the issue of the sale of fake presigned Mass cards. He said his officials are looking into the matter.
Subject to legal advice, he said this problem might be addressed through a requirement for any such individuals to place details of their charity registration number and their contact details on the back of their goods, collection and advertising materials.
He also noted that the forthcoming Bill would allow the public to check online, via a public register, to see if a charity was registered with the proposed Charities Regulatory Authority.
Mr Carey yesterday also signalled his intent to "look at" a controversial section of the Bill which could preclude charities such as St Vincent de Paul and Barnardos from engaging in political lobbying on issues of concern to them.
The current Bill would mean that bodies excluded from attaining charitable status would include those whose "principal object" is to promote a "political party, candidate or cause".
Both Fine Gael and Labour had proposed removing the reference to political "cause".
Although he initially said he did not intend to remove the reference, following further discussions with committee members, Mr Carey said the overall issue was something he was willing to "look at" in the hope that an "accommodation" could be reached.