Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

We expect to be in government. However, we must find a way of fixing a model that is broken. In reducing the numbers on the board, the Minister is on the right track. It might be asked whether even 11 people are needed on the board. I do not know too much about the internal affairs of FÁS and will not comment on them. What the Minister must not do is continue the notion of crony appointments and "Fianna Fáil only need apply" with the odd Green thrown in. That would be a disaster.

Given all that she has been through, the Tánaiste may have a tendency to find people who reflect her views and with whom she feels comfortable. In a way, I feel sorry for Deputy Mary Coughlan. Deputies Micheál Martin and Mary Harney presided as Ministers over FÁS, both for very considerable periods. Some of the worst things happened on their watch, not on the present Minister's watch. However, because she was in the chair when the aeroplane crash-landed, in many ways she is taking the political responsibility. She has an opportunity to redeem her reputation by thinking about the appointment structure, not making it personal to herself and taking a risk. She could ask the appropriate Dáil committee to be involved in the vetting procedure. For Deputies and Senators on that committee there is also a risk. If they, collectively, were to rush to embrace people with whom they were comfortable and happy, "their" men or women, that would also be a mistake. People who raise questions about the fundamental core activities of FÁS are correct. I do not know whether, like Anglo Irish Bank, the brand is so damaged that a relaunch of FÁS is necessary. Saying this gives me no pleasure because, like every Deputy, I know people who work in FÁS, how committed they are to that work and how hard they work. Over the years, I have met a number of different FÁS directors from the industry and labour sides. When I worked in the Dublin Institute of Technology, the people I met, particularly those involved in apprentice education, always seemed to be dedicated. They came from all political parties and none and were interested in the betterment and education of apprentices in a fine way.

However, all of this is irrelevant. What is relevant is the public's perception of the organisation and how we can change it. Issues such as the €600,000 wantonly spent on advertising that was never run shock people who are struggling to make ends meet, including small businesses and apprentices approaching the end of their training. For this reason, all politicians, including the Tánaiste and those who serve on the committee dealing with FÁS, must try to devise an appointments system that allows us to restore credibility in the governance and competence of State boards.

Many people would be qualified to do the job, but there is a difference between being qualified and being able to walk through the door in the morning and sit on the FÁS board. Were I or the Minister of State asked to sit on the board tomorrow, both of us would have the necessary technical qualifications, but it would be foolish in the extreme. We would need to be thoroughly briefed and prepared and given information and advice on our roles.

It is a pity that organisations like the Institute of Public Administration, IPA, which utilises a fair amount of State resources, do not seem to be acting in public, although they may be doing it privately. In many ways, we have a State sector that has become terrified of acknowledging where things have gone wrong and of explaining how those wrongs will be addressed and moved past. This may be because Fianna Fáil has been in government for 12 years and many public servants have been culturally colonised by it, in that they cannot imagine a different type of organisation. I have attended many FÁS ceremonies for awarding diplomas, degrees and certificates for, as an example, women returning to education, work and training. I represent Dublin West, but the culture at those occasions is of a Fianna Fáil gig to which I have been invited. They are charming, lovely people, some of whom pop up at different times canvassing for one famous politician in particular.

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