Fás 'unlikely' to be made disclose suspension details

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE:CHAIRMAN OF the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Bernard Allen has said the committee is unlikely to compel Fás to provide information about disciplinary action taken against its suspended former head of corporate affairs.

Christy Cooney, assistant director general of the State training agency, appeared before the committee on Thursday to explain spending irregularities at the organisation.

In response to queries relating to disciplinary action taken against suspended former head of corporate affairs Greg Craig, Mr Cooney repeatedly said he had taken legal advice and could not provide the information under data protection laws.

Mr Allen had complained the committee was not being given information, and was having to read the details in the media. He was told the committee could compel Fás to provide the information. However, he said yesterday it was unlikely that it would. He said compelling the organisation could take a long time.

It was open to the committee to highlight the absence of such information from its final report, he said, and this could be taken up by the Comptroller and Auditor General John Buckley. Mr Buckley has said he would wait for the committee's report before beginning his investigation into the irregularities at Fás. The committee report is expected to be completed by early January at the latest.

Mr Allen also said he did not know if former director general of Fás Rody Molloy would appear before the committee next week, but he expected him to. Mr Molloy resigned following revelations about the spending of more than €640,000 by Fás on transatlantic travel over a four-year period.

Mr Allen said the committee would meet in private next week to discuss progress and would hold a public hearing next Thursday. The agenda of the hearing had not yet been set, he said, because the committee did not know whether or not Mr Molloy would be present.

He said the committee could do with greater resources because they were dealing with organisations that had thousands of staff. All of the work was carried out by the committee with the back-up of three people, he said.