Call for Fás board to consider its position

SEANAD REPORT:THE GREEN Party believed that the Fás board should consider its position because governance and oversight of the organisation had been very unsatisfactory, Deirdre de Búrca (GP) said. The focus would obviously move now to other public bodies and she hoped that they would be willing to have their expenses and spending purchases subjected to an open audit. That would be necessary in order to bolster public confidence.

Speaking in a debate on Fás, Ms de Búrca said their own conduct as public representatives would also come under scrutiny in relation to their expenditure and expenses.

Minister of State for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Billy Kelleher said Tánaiste Mary Coughlan had recently met with the Fás chairman and some board members and had reiterated her disquiet at the recent revelations concerning activities in the public affairs division of the agency. However, she had welcome the board's assurance that action had been taken to deal with these matters. The board had stated that a full examination of "past practices" was required to ensure that the organisation could move forward with best practice corporate governance in place.

Shane Ross (Ind) said there had been sensational revelations about a State agency which had been completely and utterly out of control. Fás had done, and was doing, great work but it also had a budget which it was impossible to explain and which nobody knew what it did with it.

Mr Ross said he had hoped that the resignation of the director general Rody Molloy, would start a process whereby the political establishment - "which is Fianna Fáil" - came in and said that other necessary action would be taken. But that had not happened. The normal political reaction was taking over, as had been shown by Mr Kelleher's speech.