Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

I know it comes down to language. There is a tendency to talk about brands in this context. There is too much bringing in of free market concepts into the operation of the public sector.

I do not agree FÁS has been fatally damaged but accept Deputy Deenihan acknowledges the good work it has done. Many current public sector jobs were initially provided through FÁS schemes such as special needs assistants. Other schemes saw workers provided to the voluntary sector and involved in the restoration of heritage buildings and local community amenities. When I left college, some graduates took a six-month course with FÁS and were able to get jobs afterwards.

The bulk of the budget for employment services in the public sector goes through FÁS. I agree with other speakers that we should not throw out the baby with the bathwater. While I agree the agency's board needs to be reformed in light of what emerged recently, it is important the right board members are selected. They must be people who care about and have experience in employment. In this regard, trade unionists can provide the necessary experience to facilitate FÁS in pursuit of its programme. I made this point last week. As Deputy Browne said, we are amending a Bill that is 22 years old. The main part of the Bill in 1987 set out the functions of FÁS, but there is nothing in this Bill about reconsidering those functions and whether they need to be modernised. I do not agree with Deputy Deenihan that we need to replace FÁS, but how do we make it better? It is a shame that the Minister is not using this opportunity to consider whether the functions of FÁS should be amended to take account of existing needs. Maybe they are fine but I am surprised that the Bill does not deal with anything like that. FÁS is more than a board. The board is there to help FÁS operate and to oversee it, but the main purpose of FÁS is to provide services to the unemployed through training opportunities and job placements.

An OECD report based on social, employment and migration working papers, published earlier this year, analyses the services provided by FÁS, the Department of Social and Family Affairs, local employment services and other organisations and makes recommendations. They are not all correct but they raise interesting points. The report could form part of the review of the functions and purpose of FÁS to meet modern needs.

When talking about a knowledge-based or smart economy we should not lose sight of the fact that we will always need good, skilled tradespeople although our needs are different now. We need sustainable buildings and it is important that apprentices are familiar with how to mitigate climate change and conserve energy in our buildings.

The OECD report thought that the strong training focus in FÁS was good. We should make sure to keep that up and examine what courses are needed for today and whether FÁS provides enough of them or the right ones. Do the right people know about the courses and are they able to access them? The big complaint in the report is that FÁS does not focus enough on placing unemployed people in jobs.

The report was written when the recession was beginning so it is not up to date. Nevertheless, it states that even when there was high employment here there were more staff working on the unemployment benefit function than on the job placement function. It stated that job matching and placement were not to the forefront of FÁS functions. In the area I represent many people who have lost their jobs are left to their own devices to seek jobs. There is no local FÁS office. One has to go looking for it in Ballyfermot.

The people who live in Lucan and commuter towns have never before lost their jobs. They have had jobs since finishing their education. They are not as familiar with what is available as those who have been unemployed before. There are more local services in areas where there has been unemployment before. We need to consider the needs of communities where this is a new and big phenomenon.

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