Actions of senior voluntary members a "serious governance risk for the Irish Red Cross" according to internal investigation

Following intense political and media pressure after revelations that officers of the Irish Red Cross Tipperary Branch, including the organisation’s current Vice Chairman, Tony Lawlor, had an undeclared bank account for over three years containing €162,000 collected for victims of the Asian tsunami in 2005, the Irish Red Cross launched an internal investigation in November 2010. Despite many weaknesses in the report, a clear conflict of interest for the three investigators who are part of Irish Red Cross governance structures and the failure to interview key informants the report nevertheless highlights a litany of financial and administrative failures by the officers of the Tipperary branch. It categorically demonstrates that certain individuals, who have yet to be held accountable, were guilty of constant violations of Irish Red Cross accounting policy over at least a three year period. The damning report opens up as many questions as it attempts to answer. It will therefore be incumbent on the new Secretary General, once appointed, to ensure these questions are both answered and dealt with.

The internal report, which is available on line at

http://www.redcross.ie/corporate_site/quick_links/home/tsunami_emergency_nationwide_appeal_internal_review_december_2010

concludes on at least three occasions that what transpired at the Tipperary branch and at other branches posed a serious risk to the governance of the Irish Red Cross. In one section the report states:

“Concerns were also raised to the reviewers that senior voluntary members serving on National Committees were reluctant to support the professional staff in applying rules relating to how non compliant Branches would be dealt with”. The report accepts that “this may have been so” while also noting that “it was not in our view malicious in motivation but motivated by a concern for volunteers who may be under pressure”. Most importantly, however, in relation to the excuses and explanations given by senior volunteers, the internal report states “These concerns while understandable are misguided and pose a serious governance risk for the Irish Red Cross”.

In any well functioning organisation individuals or groups of individuals whose actions are deemed to “pose a serious governance risk” to the organisation would be removed immediately and banned from holding office in that organisation ever again.

The last sentence of the internal report states that this whole episode has been a “very painful learning experience for the IRC at all levels and has significantly undermined the organisation”. At the end of the day there can be only one conclusion and it’s that the internal report is clearly implying certain individuals have, through their actions and behaviours, “undermined” the Irish Red Cross. The question must therefore be asked why those same individuals have not only not been held to account but why does at least one of them continue to occupy a senior honorary officer position on the National Executive of the organisation?

The internal report also calls for “appropriate and clear procedures to protect the organisation and its dedicated volunteers and staff”. If those very individuals responsible for “undermining” the organisation are not comprehensively dealt with and remain in positions of power and authority then the report is absolutely correct in calling for “procedures to protect the organisation”. Senior individuals have clearly shown themselves more than capable of violating critically important organisational rules and regulations to the detriment of the Society. In the absence of their immediate removal from office extremely rigorous and robust procedures combined with their strict implementation are urgently required to protect the Irish Red Cross and to significantly dilute the influence of these people.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that happen-Martin Luther King