Autism charity under review following allegations it moved €1.5m out of the State – The Irish Times

The Health Service Executive (HSE) is reviewing the governance and funding of an autism charity following allegations it transferred more than €1.5 million to its UK counterpart.

Autism Initiatives Ireland, which rebranded this year to Autism A Chara, provides specialist care and support for adults with autism in the Republic of Ireland.

In 2019, concerns were raised about the alleged transfer of €1,522,778 from the Irish organisation’s cash reserves to entities outside the State over a four-year period.

Anne O’Connor, chief executive of the HSE, informed the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee that it has commenced a review of relevant financial, contractual and governance records relating to the organisation.

“This includes consideration of further compliance or assurance measures, engagement with national HSE functions, and assessment of any additional actions required,” a briefing note, dated April 21st, said.

“The HSE acknowledges the seriousness of the matters raised and will continue to engage with the Committee as appropriate.”

According to O’Connor, the HSE “did not approve, nor was it notified in advance or retrospectively” of any transfer of HSE-funded monies or assets by Autism Initiatives Ireland (AII) to UK-based or other external entities.

“At present, the HSE has no record indicating that it was aware of such transfers at the time they occurred. A review of available records is ongoing to establish whether any retrospective notification was received,” she said.

“AII is funded by the HSE as a Section 39 organisation under annual Service Arrangements and is subject to contractual, financial and governance oversight, including submission of audited Annual Financial Statements and Annual Financial Management Returns. The HSE can confirm that no approval was granted for the transfer of funds or assets outside the State.”

The HSE head said external audits are undertaken annually, but they “do not extend to verifying compliance with Service Arrangement conditions”.

“Governance and compliance concerns, including issues relating to classification of HSE funding and cross-jurisdictional arrangements, were escalated internally within the HSE from 2022 onwards,” she said.

“The HSE funds AII solely for the delivery of agreed disability services within the State. The HSE has no evidence at this time that services were contracted, delivered, or invoiced by UK-based entities in connection with the transfers referenced by the Committee.”

According to their most recent accounts, for the year ending March 2025, the charity recorded a surplus of €0.245 million, and stated their “primary source of funding” is from statutory bodies.

The financial statement said the balance sheet was “healthy” and income increased €1.232 million on the previous year. Autism A Chara was contacted for comment.