Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I will read it for the Minister. Section 7(2)(a) states, "Such remuneration and allowances for expenses incurred by him . . . [this means any member of staff] . . . as An Foras or the subsidiary, as the case may be, with the consent of the Minister and the Minister for Finance". It is explicitly clear that the approval of expenses regimes in FÁS, as established by this Act, is a job for the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

I will ask the Taoiseach a direct question. Did the Minister approve travel by first class by senior executive staff of FÁS? This is the Minister's job. This is not a matter of FÁS deciding this of its own volition. The arrangement for expenses remuneration in FÁS is a matter for which the Minister has responsibility. I want to know whether this was approved by the Minister and if it was not approved by the Minister, what has a succession of Ministers in that Department been doing over the 11 years in which the Taoiseach's party has been in office?

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