FG claims €500k wasted
The party’s Fergus O’Dowd told the Dáil the money was thrown away when the results of four courses for Fás trainees were fabricated by a private company – which was then given more state work after the scandal came to light.
The deputy warned the latest fiasco to hit Fás proved the organisation had “rottenness” at its heart.
The Louth TD said the training courses were provided for Fás clients by a company in the north-east which was paid a fee of more than €200,000.
He added that the Fás trainees were paid another €256,000 by the state, but because as the results were “corrupted” by the company, over €500,000 was wasted in total. Mr O’Dowd said the firm admitted to Fás the results had been changed and that a worker had been fired as a result. However, he told TDs it corrupted results on a further occasion when it was awarded another state contract.
Mr O’Dowd said that in the courses which had results falsified, trainees had to make do with “clapped-out” computers and no printers or disks.
“Taxpayers’ money was wasted on unfortunate trainees who were conned into thinking they were doing a course. They were not provided with proper materials or proper results. No audit of the company was conducted, notwithstanding the fact that it had pleaded guilty to Fás to previously corrupting a course by changing the results.
“At the heart of this is an incredible, appalling, disgraceful shame in the running of Fás,” he said.
Minister of State Seán Haughey confirmed the course results had been manipulated, but that the firm involved had paid for one of the new courses.
He added Tánaiste and Employment Minister Mary Coughlan had asked Fás to see if it could recover all the costs incurred from that firm.
The latest financial scandal to engulf Fás comes after a litany of waste was uncovered at the training agency involving excessive luxury travel for staff, the disappearance of a car intended for a raffle and €600,000 spent on a TV advert that was never broadcast.
