Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 105: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will make a statement on the report of the Committee of Public Accounts on FÁS. [7272/09]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the report on FÁS by the Public Accounts Committee, which was published last week and I commend the Committee for the work carried out in this matter. I will be paying particular attention to the recommendations made and to the underlying rationale for making them. I note that while the report in general concentrates on the things that went wrong, the Committee is of the view that the good work being done by the employees of FÁS should not be overlooked and this examination is no reflection on their role and the valuable contribution they make to Irish life. I fully concur with this view.

Many of the issues contained in the report have already been aired in public. I have previously expressed my concerns in respect of various matters raised by internal audit reports in FÁS and subsequently taken up by the C&AG in an earlier report on a number of public bodies. Since the publication of those reports a series of steps have been undertaken to deal with the matters raised. In particular:

FÁS has clarified its procedures and strengthened its internal controls;

An internal cross-functional communications and marketing strategy group has been established in FÁS;

FÁS has passed certain issues to the Gardaí for investigation;

A new Director General has been appointed on a temporary basis;

The C&AG has commenced a wide-ranging investigation in FÁS, which includes internal controls, governance arrangements, marketing and advertising and specific follow-up of matters raised in the course of hearings of the Committee of Public Accounts;

A review of the Science Challenge Initiative with a view to making recommendations on the Initiative's future is currently underway, and it will be completed shortly.

In my view, FÁS should continue to remain focused on its core mission, given the employment and training challenges currently facing the country. I would express my strong support for the work of the new Director General, the Chairman and the other members of the Board in that regard. The Board of FÁS has already stated that whatever additional actions are necessary arising from the Report will be fully implemented.