Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

This is not how public money should be spent. The Comptroller and Auditor General's report, accessed under freedom of information legislation, clearly indicates directly contradictory evidence. These papers are being made available to the Committee of Public Accounts and I will send them on to the Taoiseach.

I ask the Taoiseach to act on this information and consult, through the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Garda, which is investigating this matter, to see that in this instance nothing is happening in FÁS that should not happen and that the public can expect to get value for its taxes in this area. A budget of €9 million for advertising and PR might be small money to Fianna Fáil, but it is an important budget. It is in the control of one executive who placed most of the advertisements himself. There is a Garda investigation going on. I would like to think that, beginning with the Minister, Deputy Brian Lenihan's, prudent and direct action, this kind of area, for one, would be dealt with by the Taoiseach. From that chair, he recently said sotto voce to call them in. Somebody might see to it that this activity is strictly in line with the criteria for getting best value for taxpayers' money. I would like the Taoiseach to comment.

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