Goal chairman defends spending controls

OVERSEAS AID charity Goal is working with the Department of Foreign Affairs to ensure adequate and transparent corporate governance structures will be in place in 12 months, its chairman has said.

Pat O'Mahony was speaking on RTÉ radio's This Weekprogramme yesterday, in response to questions raised by former board member Fran Rooney.

Mr Rooney, who resigned in December, said during his time with the charity there had been neither a remuneration committee nor an audit committee at the charity and described this as “unacceptable”.

“There was no attempt to put an audit committee in place. It’s clearly indicated in the board minutes that an audit committee was required.

“That was bad corporate governance,” Mr Rooney said.

Rejecting the criticism, Mr O’Mahony said an audit and finance committee had been in place “for a long time, as well as a remuneration committee”.

When it was put to him an Irish Aid audit had raised questions about corporate governance at Goal, he said the points made in the audit were incorrect.

The audit said the board had “lacked technical expertise and experience”, and that it was difficult to assess whether the board was undertaking certain measures because there were no formal preset agendas and no minutes of meetings.

Mr O’Mahony said: “That’s incorrect. Since I’ve been around there have been minutes and agendas for all meetings.”

Asked if the Irish Aid audit was incorrect, he said: “What I’m saying is what is happening in Goal now.”

He said the Irish Aid audit had been “complimentary about the managements of finances in Goal” and had said the expenditure of Irish Aid finances was “in line”.

In a recent meeting with Department of Foreign Affairs officials, senior staff were “very supportive” and complimentary of the work of Goal and Mr O’Shea.

Asked about salaries in the charity, Mr O’Mahony said no one in the organisation, that he knew of, was currently on an annual salary of €100,000 or more.