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29/01/2010
FÁS Spending Could Be 'Criminal Activity'
The former head of the FÁS audit committee Niall Saul has said revelations emerging from inquiries into spending at the training agency could constitute "criminal activity".
A report published yesterday by the audit committee brought further revelations of ostentatious and uncontrolled spending at the maligned State training agency.
The inquiry found FAS executives booked flights worth almost €1m outside approved procedures among other examples of spending without authorisation.
Today, Opposition party Fine Gael have said accused "shady managers" who ran sections of FÁS of transforming it into an agency for "Fun And Sun", and said that the report had revealed Fianna Fáil Ministers handed fromer CEO Rody Molloy a €892,000 "golden handshake".
Leo Varadkar, Enterprise Trade Employment spokesman for Fine Gael said: “Sadly, these revelations will further undermine the good work done by so many of the 2,000 FÁS trainers and staff members working on the ground. Government Ministers and executives owe them an explanation and an apology.
“The Tánaiste must give an assurance that all the recommendations in the C&AG report will be implemented.
“The timing of this report is sinister, coinciding with the deliberations of a high-profile legal trial. The Tánaiste has had this report for a number of weeks. I believe her decision to release the report at this time was a deliberate attempt to stifle its findings. Calamity Coughlan has turned into Cover-up Coughlan.”
(DW/BMcC)
A report published yesterday by the audit committee brought further revelations of ostentatious and uncontrolled spending at the maligned State training agency.
The inquiry found FAS executives booked flights worth almost €1m outside approved procedures among other examples of spending without authorisation.
Today, Opposition party Fine Gael have said accused "shady managers" who ran sections of FÁS of transforming it into an agency for "Fun And Sun", and said that the report had revealed Fianna Fáil Ministers handed fromer CEO Rody Molloy a €892,000 "golden handshake".
Leo Varadkar, Enterprise Trade Employment spokesman for Fine Gael said: “Sadly, these revelations will further undermine the good work done by so many of the 2,000 FÁS trainers and staff members working on the ground. Government Ministers and executives owe them an explanation and an apology.
“The Tánaiste must give an assurance that all the recommendations in the C&AG report will be implemented.
“The timing of this report is sinister, coinciding with the deliberations of a high-profile legal trial. The Tánaiste has had this report for a number of weeks. I believe her decision to release the report at this time was a deliberate attempt to stifle its findings. Calamity Coughlan has turned into Cover-up Coughlan.”
(DW/BMcC)
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