Poor box funds of €2 million shared among 700 charities and community groups

More than €2 million from the court poor box was shared among some 700 charities and community groups in 2012.

Oxfam Ireland received the largest amount, €126,200, followed by the Friends of St Patrick’s Hospital in Cork, which received €95,415, and the Capuchin Day Centre (€74,130). Sightsavers International and Christian Blind Mission were each given €60,000 in 2012 – the last year for which the aggregate data is available.

The national figures, released by the Courts Service, show 34 organisations received more than €10,000 over the 12-month period, among them charities working on homelessness, mental health, drug addiction and international development.

Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital received €22,960, while Temple Street hospital was given €16,755.

The large majority of organisations (440) received less than €1,000, with local groups such as Limerick Animal Welfare and Athlone Sub-Aqua Club receiving small donations of €50 each.

Missionary orders, hospices, youth groups and disability charities also appear on the list. Decisions on how to dispense the proceeds of the poor box are made by District Court judges, often in response to representations made by charities to District Court offices.

Although it is not provided for in law, the practice of courts directing that money be paid into a poor box in lieu of or alongside another penalty is a practice that predates the foundation of the State. The individual amounts can vary substantially.

Some district judges use the poor box routinely as an alternative to imposing a fine, while others use it rarely, if at all. About a quarter of the total funds for the past two years have originated in Co Kerry.

The option of paying into the poor box usually arises where the offence is minor and would not attract a custodial sentence. Public order offences account for a large proportion of donations, including breaches of the peace, intoxication or disorderly conduct in a public place or failure to comply with a direction from a member of An Garda Síochána. It is sometimes used for road traffic offences, minor drug offences and offences against property.

Last month Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said he was frustrated by judges’ use of the poor box in cases where offenders would otherwise get penalty points. “It is one thing to say that you are not going to apply a conviction to somebody, it is another that the driver doesn’t get any penalty points at all. They should get the penalty points.”