Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

Over the past two nights this debate has centred on the need for accountability and proper corporate governance in one of our key State agencies, FÁS, and on the highly questionable deal reached with the former director general, Rody Molloy. During the debate many speakers highlighted different areas of concern with regard to FÁS. Different aspects of the FÁS operation remain which will be subject to scrutiny by both the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Committee of Public Accounts. Unfortunately, there is material there for many months to come.

I want to address in particular the golden handshake. However, before coming to that I want to refer to a particular aspect of the organisation which is of concern to me, namely, the top-heavy management structure within FÁS. I urge the Tánaiste to devote some attention to this area. When FÁS was created in 1988, it was recognised that it needed to be a regionalised organisation. The services needed to be on the ground in all counties. The management structure was organised to provide for a director general, a deputy director general and 13 directors, ten of whom were to be in the regions and three of whom would be in head office. That amounted to 15 senior staff. At this stage the management structure of FÁS consists of 36 senior staff. It now has a director general, seven deputy director generals, ten regional directors, and 18 head office directors. One might say FÁS is a classic example of an organisation with too many chiefs and not enough Indians.

What is even more important is that the key problem with FÁS is that the emphasis has switched from regional services on the ground to the corporate organisation in head office. The corporate body, endowed with a large budget, has enjoyed lavish entertainment and first-class travel for the members themselves, their wives, Department officials, Ministers, some journalists and various other hangers on. In the past four years alone, FÁS spent almost €48 million on suspect promotion and advertising. In the process it completely lost sight of its core function, the provision of employment and training services for people seeking work. In short, FÁS members lost the run of themselves. Nobody, whether executives, board members or Ministers shouted stop.

It is probably not surprising that Ministers did not seek accountability from FÁS, given their complete lack of accountability to this House and the taxpayers in respect of the deal with Mr. Molloy. Significant questions remain to be answered by the Tánaiste, the Minister for Finance and the Taoiseach. Not only should Members on this side of the House demand answers, but the Green Party, if it has any sense of probity, should also demand answers before voting on this motion.

It may come as a surprise to some in Fianna Fáil that Ministers cannot do what they wish. They are obliged to adhere to the law and are not above it.

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