Tánaiste and Enterprise, Trade & Employment Minister Mary Coughlan has asked the Comptroller and Auditor General to launch a special investigation into FÁS expenditure since 2000.
Let us be in no doubt. This investigation will be a complete waste of time, resources and money. The C & AG is a completely powerless organisation. It does not have any power to bring charges as a result of any wrongdoing discovered; it is empowered merely to offer an opinion – that’s it.
In its most recent investigation, into Bord gCon, the C&AG uncovered very serious corruption, fraud and incompetence, yet, bizarrely, concluded that
“In material respects the financial affairs of the company were properly run.”
No action whatsoever was taken by any government authority as a result of these very serious findings. It should be noted at this point that the C&AG was the auditor of Bord na gCon while many of these dodgy activities were going on.
The C&AG is also the official auditor of FÁS. So what are the chances that the organisation responsible for signing off on the finances of FÁS every year is going to make any serious criticisms of that organisation? Isn’t it more likely to conclude that ‘In material respects the financial affairs of FÁS were properly run’?
When completed, the C&AGs report on FÁS will be passed on to another completely powerless body – The Public Accounts Committee.
This group of useless politicians will discuss the matter once in public and once in private and that folks will be the end of the matter. It doesn’t matter how much corruption, fraud or incompetence is uncovered – nothing will be done.
In my opinion it is no accident that the C&AG is powerless, it is no accident that the PAC is powerless and it is no accident that Minister Coughlin has decided to hand over this very serious matter to these powerless agencies.
If Ireland was a properly functioning and accountable democracy the police would be ripping through the files at FAS, civil servants would be answering questions under police caution and politicians would be wondering how their heads fell off.
Depressingly, Ireland is not a properly functioning democracy, there will be no police action, no political heads will roll and corruption and incompetence will continue at all levels of Irish society.
Copy to:
C&AG
FAS
PAC
Meanwhile I will be “selling flags” on Friday to help fund a Charity I am associated with…..ah well!….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8mff9CvF7k
Our Donegal Tanaiste knows about one Report regarding Job-fixing in Fas Northwest and what has she done about it NOTHING. Looks like Pat the Cope`s relation got a handy Instructors job, with the help of a few corrupt FAS employees.
Come to Bundoran, Co. Donegal and see the FAS job-fixing sign that is up nearly two years.
Endless investigations, reports and tribunals, accomplish nothing for anyone except the solicitors and committeemen appointed to oversee them. They pull down the big bucks, producing further waist of taxpayer’s money. What is needed is action! The inquiries need some teeth in their bite. Otherwise we’d be better off without them.
With the waist, robbery and nepotism that is carried on in the name of Government I am surprised that there are not masses of protesters packing the streets in front of the GPO demanding the resignation of all members of government and the firing of all their relatives and cronies. The whole “shower of shits”, need to be made redundant. Let them go to work for minimum wage for some supermarket chain. It is time they learned to live in the real world.