Shane Ross (Independent)

I welcome this debate in the sense that it gives everybody an opportunity to demonstrate their support of the various schemes promoted in their communities. It also gives them the opportunity to be on the side of virtue, to be uncritical and to maintain that community employment schemes are of benefit to their constituents. It also gives them the opportunity to make speeches directed more towards the local rather than national newspapers, a device which is used in the House and with which I sympathise as it is not unknown for me to use it on occasion.

This motion, however, begs some more profound questions, particularly with regard to the role of FÁS. As the promoter of these schemes, FÁS should be the subject of far greater examination. However, it is never subject to examinations in this House because it would be a dangerous matter for politicians to criticise State agencies or bodies which bring nothing but good, in terms of money and resources, to their communities.

The reality is that FÁS is a sort of slush fund to provide grants for employment creation. It rarely comes under any serious examination because politicians welcome those grants to their communities. FÁS is a large, top-heavy organisation which must find something to do with the large amount of money it is given. Traditionally, and under its articles of association, it was created by the State with the worthy objective of reducing long-term unemployment.

A peculiar feature of FÁS is, as Senator Hanafin pointed out, that whereas long-term unemployment has been reduced over a short period of years from 5% to 1.5%, the size of FÁS and the numbers employed by it have increased. It is now an empire. It produces good for many small communities and nobody can quarrel with that. It also does wonderful work in promoting jobs and activities for people with disabilities. However, it has a budget of €859 million per annum. Much could be done with that amount of money.

I have read the annual report but I can find no detail of where all this money goes. I can see from time to time the great virtue of the individual schemes — which everybody in this House will talk about because they affect their area — but they do not add up to anything worth €859 million, or anywhere near that. Incidentally, the 2002 annual report was only lodged in the House several months after the year end last year and we have not yet received the 2003 report. It is difficult to find out what the organisation is doing from reading the report.

I suggest to the Minister that this organisation has completely lost its way. I do not wish to detract from the good things it does but it does not merit this kind of budget. If one reads the statement of the chairman, Mr. Brian Geoghegan, one will find it almost entirely aspirational. There is no detail therein. It does not explain what the organisation will do but states it will review strategy. FÁS has been reviewing its strategy since kingdom come because it does not have one. It has money, the support of politicians and communities that want its assistance. It is there to resolve the problem of the long-term unemployed but that problem is to a large extent resolved. The empire, however, continues to grow. Politicians are unhappy about tackling this problem because if they did they would be vulnerable to charges that they are attacking community employment in their own areas, which is nonsense. FÁS should be subject to a very rigid examination of where it is spending its money and what return it is getting from €859 million. FÁS is responsible for the creation of virtually no jobs except the increasing number it gives to its own staff as the empire gets bigger. It is responsible for a certain amount of training, often in respect of jobs in the wrong sectors for the wrong people, and for a certain amount of research. I quote the chairman, Mr. Brian Geoghegan:

The first year of the new FÁS Strategy 2002-2005 brought many internal changes with an increased focus on planning, innovation and greater responses to the needs of our clients.

"Focus" is one of those broad words used when we mean we are doing nothing. Mr. Geoghegan continues:

FÁS, through its management and employees, embraced a new partnership approach to organisational development involving national and local structures.

This is rhubarb. The chairman does not know what this agency does. I do not know what it does, nor does anybody else, but it has a great deal of money. The chairman also states:

This approach aims to harness the knowledge and commitment of staff in providing better services to our customers.

This is clichéd nonsense because FÁS has a very limited role, if it has one at all any more.

FÁS decided last year to prioritise its objectives once again. I thought this meant it would have a single priority, but it has eight. Everything is a priority because the agency is utterly directionless. How can FÁS, which has so much money, run an income and expenditure deficit of €22 million? It seems to me extraordinary given its €859 million budget and an unemployment rate which is down to 1.5% that the State agency still overspends by this amount. It is quite staggering that it should be allowed to do so. Why are its staff numbers increasing while the rate of unemployment is being reduced so quickly? Why does it have eight priorities when it is prioritising expenditure?

The board of FÁS is full of people who are in the social partnership junkies net.