The Children's Minister is withholding up to €1m in funding for Scouting Ireland over concerns about how it handled an allegation of rape.

The Irish Times reports that Minister Katherine Zappone has warned the organisation that her department will not release any funds until it is satisfied that governance concerns have been dealt with.

It is understood that in 2016 a female scout leader made a formal allegation that she was raped during a camping trip seven years earlier.

The DPP decided not to proceed with a prosecution and the alleged offender was promoted some months later. 

It has been reported that the accused member was allowed to return to his role without proper garda vetting. 

Scouting Ireland has 40,000 juvenile members – and has received over €9m in Government funding since 2010.