Irish homeless charities faced with gagging order 'stopping them criticising government policy'

Rules 'do real damage' to discussion of issue, says civil liberties advocate

Charities must sign service level agreements every year to receive state funding (Bruno Vincent)

Dublin city council has allegedly attempted to stop homelessness charities criticising the Government by putting "gagging orders" in their funding contracts.

A number of charities working to tackle homelessness in the city receive state funding and must sign service agreements every year explaining what they will spend the money on.

The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) introduced a string of restrictions on charities' communications with the media to contracts issued last year.

Charities would have to seek permission for journalists to visit their premises and for the clearance of press releases, according to The Times, which first reported the story.

Some charities reportedly deleted the clauses on the restrictions before signing them.

The Dublin Homeless Network – which includes the key charities working in the capital – objected to the proposal when it was initially made last February.

The parties have since entered negotiations about the final measures the contracts will include.

The DRHE, which is the leading authority in the response to homelessness in the city, said in the agreements helped ensure effective services for homeless people.

Executive director of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Liam Hennick, told The Times they would have done "real damage to the quality of public discussion" on homelessness.

He said there was evidence an increasing number of public bodies were using service agreement contracts to stop state money being used for advocacy purposes.

“All NGOs freely enter into these legal contracts and are contingent on funding being provided," he added.

“The DRHE works in partnership with the various providers and any issues or concerns are openly discussed and meaningfully addressed.

"It is not DRHE policy to restrain funded services. Service level agreements ensure that there is transparency and accountability for public money expenditure.”