Non-profit organisations in Ireland have a turnover of €11bn per annum and account for 8% of all current government spending but more than a quarter of the organisations do not publish full accounts.

However a new report from Benefacts, which was set up to provide information on the sector, has found that high pay is not common in the sector.

It finds that employees in the non-profit sector are more than 25 times less likely to earn €70,000 per annum than those in the private sector.

The vast majority of those on salaries above €70,000 working for non-profit companies are employed in Section 38 organisations where pay is set by reference to public sector pay grades.

Welcoming the report, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe said his department has funded Benefacts because of the value in establishing and sharing facts about the sector.

European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly said the non-profit sector had been long taken for granted.

However, she added that recent controversy had opened a debate on the role of non-profits in health care.

She said the value of the data provided by Benefacts is that it makes government and others better informed when making decisions.