Charity Commission for NI chief apologises to police widow

The head of the Charity Commission for NI Nicole Lappin

The head of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI) has apologised for a legal threat against the widow of a former RUC officer.

The woman received the threat in a letter from the regulator two years ago, after she raised complaints.

Her husband - who passed away before the threat was issued - was a member of the Disabled Police Officers Association of NI (DPOANI).

The charity had been under investigation by the commission.

She had expressed her view that his treatment by CCNI was a factor in his death.

In 2018, the commission wrote to the woman - who wishes to remain anonymous - offering condolences.

But the letter, seen by the Nolan Show, went on to say that "any repetition" of the claim that its investigation had contributed to her husband's passing "may result in the commission considering legal action".

Threat

The Disabled Police Officers Association of Northern Ireland (DPOANI) was a charity set up for officers injured on duty.

The woman's husband left the service after an IRA bomb attack on a police station in which he received physical and psychological injuries.

Speaking to the Nolan Show, she said the Charity Commission's actions had caused her "untold hassle and trouble and sleepless nights".

The CCNI investigation began in 2014, and she said her husband was under "undue pressure" after personal details of the charity's members were removed from its premises.

She said: "He was very upset about it, and so was I. He got more depressed, he got very agitated.

"He was more worried about security then than he ever had been."

'Not appropriate'

The Charity Commission's Chief Commissioner Nicole Lappin, who was not at the regulator when the letter was sent, said: "It is very difficult to hear the impact this letter had on her.

"I am very sorry for that. I want to be very clear, that letter shouldn't have been sent."

She said the letter was "disproportionate" and "not appropriate in any circumstance".

Mrs Lappin added that the threat had been withdrawn and that she would be happy to meet the woman to discuss it further.

She also revealed to the Nolan Show that she is looking at two similar threats to members of the public and has appealed for anyone in a similar situation to come forward.

"When I have looked at the correspondence it certainly would raise questions in my mind about whether or not the correspondence which we sent was appropriate in those circumstances," she said.

In relation to personal information taken by the CCNI, the chief commissioner said: "Anyone who has access to that information would have been given an enhanced security clearance so that the handling of that information is appropriate.

"We have processes and procedures in place to deal with how that information is stored securely".

The DUP's Paul Givan said the issue required independent process and ministerial intervention

'Ministerial intervention'

The DUP's Paul Givan - a former communities minister - says the apology is "recognition of the failures that took place in this incident".

"It is alarming the chief commissioner is concerned about other correspondence and is calling for people to come forward who may have been impacted," he added.

"This requires an independent process and ministerial intervention."

The Charity Commission launched a statutory inquiry into DPOANI in 2014 around "concerns about the governance and financial controls" - but the investigation was closed in 2016.

Those under investigation always denied any wrongdoing.

When asked if any action had been taken with regard to the investigation, the Charity Commission said that "the DPOANI statutory inquiry was lawfully instigated as it was a decision taken by a panel of commissioners", however, this interpretation is disputed by a number of charity trustees who are taking legal action against the commission.

CCNI added that "the decision-making process followed when making orders under the inquiry was unlawful as the decisions were taken by staff members and not commissioners".

They added that to release information on the report into DPOANI would be "misleading to the public and unfair to both the charity and individuals concerned".

'Cultural issues'

A leaked report for the former head of the civil service, David Sterling, written by Jonathan Baume, said the case "offers at least prima facie evidence of problematic cultural issues within the CCNI".

It also stated that the CCNI "appears to have a very defensive culture".

CCNI said the organisation was looking at its complaints procedure and setting up a "stakeholder group" to meet people impacted by its regulation.

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