Ministers/civil servants must be made accountble for FÁS fiasco
Issued : Friday 3 September, 2010
Statement by Roisin Shortall TD
Minister of State, Department of Health with responsibility for Primary Care
It is now very clear that the failure of the government to provide a proper audit of EU funds for FAS is now jeopardising the prospects of further EU funding at a time when the need for education and retraining opportunities for those without work has never been greater.
I am not surprised that the EU funding for FAS has now, in effect, been withdrawn. The whole operation of FÁS over the past decade has been characterised by a shocking waste of money and the total absence of accountability, both within the agency itself and within the government department that was supposed to be exercising supervision over it.
While some steps have been taken to introduce new blood into FÁS with the appointment of a new board and new chief executive, many of those in government – at both ministerial and civil service level – remain in place and have never properly accounted for their stewardship.
The Tanaiste, Mary Coughlan, in her almost three years as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment presided over the FAS mess and then took many of the functions of FAS with her when she moved to the Education portfolio. Senior civil servants within the old Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment – some of whom also sat on the board of FÁS – have, despite the best efforts of the Public Accounts Committee, never been made to account for their failures.
It is inexcusable that the government has not been able to satisfactorily answer questions that have been raised by the EU about €407m that was allocated between 2000 and 2006 and the €211m that has been allocated since 2007.
What is of even greater concern is that if satisfactory answers are not provided by the government, the EU may look for the return of some or all of this money putting even greater pressure on the Exchequer.
This fiasco will further undermine Ireland’s reputation, already seriously damaged, by the Anglo Irish disaster.
The majority of those who work in FÁS are committed and conscientious employees who do their best for those they are supposed to serve and who bear no responsibility for the damage that has been done to the Agency.
With more than 460,000 on the Live Register it is essential that we have a state agency capable of meeting the needs of those seeking employment, by providing relevant and high quality training. This will not happen until senior civil servants re made accountable.
