Minister for Health Leo Varadkar has confirmed that a garda investigation is under way into the controversy over breaches of governance and expenditure at Hepatitis C Support group Positive Action.
Speaking at the European Federation of Nurses annual conference at the Gresham Hotel in Dublin, he said he wanted to reassure all women infected in the Hepatitis C scandal that their medical cards and benefits are secure.
He said none of them would be held responsible for what happened with Positive Action.
The Minister said that because of the Garda investigation, he was limited in what he could say. However, he said that when it came to the whole charity and NGO sector, they needed to ensure that any money they are given by the state was used for the intended purposes.
Mr Varadkar said taxpayers' money was not used for what was intended at Positive Action.
He said he thought there may have been an assumption in the past that if an NGO or charity was doing good work, that it necessarily had all the right financial controls in place.
He said that they knew from Positive Action, Rehab and the CRC that was not always the case.
Mr Varadkar said NGOs and charities needed to be subject to exactly the same sort of financial and corporate governance controls as everyone else.
It comes after the Public Accounts Committee said it is to investigate breaches of corporate governance and extravagant expenditure at the group.
Yesterday, RTE News revealed a Health Service Executive internal audit report into the extent of spending over a four year period on overseas conferences, relaxation weekends, dining, and other items including dog kennels.
PAC Chairman John McGuinness said the committee will seek further information from the HSE and investigate the possibility of inviting the former directors of Positive Action before them.
Meanwhile on RTÉ's Today with Sean O'Rourke, former Positive Action board member Christine Bruton insisted the HSE was "very aware" of the group's expenditure and that it approved of therapies and weekend trips.
She said patients got solace from such therapies. Ms Bruton said Positive Action was subsidised by the Government and members paid a fee towards weekend trips.
She said she disapproved of some spending particularly on gifts, and she resisted this during her five years on the board.
The HSE has denied that it approved of the controversial spending.
HSE Director General Tony O'Brien told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children that the internal audit report will be released once it is cleared legally.
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