Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

Mr. Molloy has done the honourable thing by offering his resignation. I am sure that was a difficult decision for him and I wish him well. From time to time, when things go wrong, we get resignations of senior public servants. However, what we do not get, particularly from Fianna Fáil in Government, is any resignation by Ministers or any sense that there is ministerial accountability. The amount of money spent on electronic voting was 100 times greater than the expenses in FÁS under scrutiny, for example, but there was no ministerial resignation or accountability to this House for that. What we get — the Taoiseach gave it to us again here this morning — is the suggestion that when something goes wrong in a State agency, it has nothing to do with Ministers. We are assured that the Minister will investigate and there will be a report to Government. Then the issue disappears.

Let me remind the House how this works. A State agency, whether it is FÁS or any other agency, is accountable to the Minister and the Minister is accountable to the people for the spending of taxpayers' money through this House. In respect of FÁS, there is ministerial responsibility. The Labour Services Act of 1987 states specifically that the remuneration and expenses of staff in FÁS must be approved by the Minister and the Minister for Finance. This also applies to the board of FÁS. This is outlined in section 7 of the Act and again in the Schedule to that Act. Furthermore, there is a provision in the legislation that gives the Minister power to give directions to FÁS in respect of expenditure on specific items.

Let us be clear about this. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment had responsibility for the expenses regime which applied in FÁS, because the Minister had to approve it. There were three Ministers for Enterprise, Trade and Employment over the period in question, namely, the current Tánaiste, Deputy Mary Coughlan — who has only been in the job a very short time — the current Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Micheál Martin and the current Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney.

Did the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment approve the expenses regime which applied in FÁS, under which some of the top executives benefitted? I heard Mr. Molloy on radio on Monday last say the arrangements in place were "entitlements". Did the Minister approve them? If the Minister did not approve them, then I seek an explanation from the Taoiseach as to why three Ministers — I do not know which one was responsible here — were negligent in their duty in overseeing the organisation, as the Minister is required by law to do. FÁS is not a free agent. It is responsible to the Minister, who must approve its expenses regime and who is, in turn, accountable and answerable to this House for that approval. I want an answer on that today.

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