PAC chairman unhappy with Govt over FÁS

The chairman of the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee has expressed disappointment at the Government's slow response to the spending controversy at FÁS.

New legislation to streamline the board of the state training agency has been planned for some time and was due before the Dáil next week, but there are concerns that the bill might be delayed.

Yesterday, the chairman of the board, Peter McLoone, resigned from his position.

The other board members also announced their intention to stand down once the new legislation is brought in.

The large waste of taxpayers' money at FÁS during the economic boom began to emerge more than a year ago, with director-general Rody Molloy resigning after revelations about lavish overseas trips and expenses claims.

Last month, the Comptroller and Auditor General published a report outlining how the agency had wasted much of its multi-million euro advertising and promotion budget between 2002 and 2008.

Fine Gael TD Bernard Allen, the chairman of the PAC, says he is disappointed that the Government has still not taken any action given the seriousness of the situation.