I welcome the opportunity to address this Private Members' motion on the floor of the House tonight and also to commend the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coughlan, on her steps taken to deal with the unsatisfactory procedures of a small number of individuals involved in the training support agency, FÁS. From a relatively early stage in her role as Minister, she set about investigating irregularities in the agency. The Labour Party motion has highlighted all of the points that came out of investigations set in place by the Tánaiste. We all know about the matters raised in the Private Members' motion tonight because the Tánaiste initiated investigations by the Comptroller and Auditor General which have resulted in two separate Garda investigations and one file with the DPP. As the House will be aware, there has been a case before the courts during the week, and I believe we will see more. Let us be clear about from where all of the investigations are emanating. It is disingenuous of the Labour Party to give the impression that the Tánaiste sat on her hands and did nothing, which could not be further from the truth.

On the manner in which the director general was ousted from his position, it took courage to act the way the Tánaiste did. This myth that she should have sacked him with no pension rights after 35 years of service goes against the Labour Party's own agendas on workers' rights. The reality is that the only way of removing the director general of FÁS and saving the reputation of what is a relatively good agency was exactly how the Tánaiste did it, and the Opposition is cutting itself by saying otherwise.

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