€1m in funding to be withheld from Scouting Ireland
The Minister for Children Katherine Zappone is withholding up to €1m in funding for Scouting Ireland over concerns about how it handled an allegation of rape.
Ms Zappone is quoted in The Irish Times saying her department will not release any money until it is satisfied with the organisation's governance.
It is reported that in 2016, a female leader made an allegation of rape during a camping trip which took place seven years earlier.
Ms Zappone is further quoted as saying she was "very concerned" with how the organisation handled the allegation.
The DPP decided not to proceed with a prosecution and the alleged offender was promoted some months later.
Scouting Ireland has more than 40,000 juvenile members, and since 2010 has received €9m in funding from the department.
