THE BOARD of the State training authority, Fás, is expected to conclude a two-day meeting in Waterford today where it is considering the organisation’s future.

A change to the authority’s name could be among the ideas agreed at the meetings. A spokeswoman could not say yesterday if the board would issue a comprehensive statement after the meeting.

Paul O’Toole, the director general appointed in April of last year, told RTÉ that he believed that difficulties which emerged in a recent European audit of Fás expenditure would be satisfactorily resolved.

The difficulties have led to the temporary cessation of claims by the State for European Social Fund money. EU funding of €211 million was allocated to Ireland for the period 2007 to 2013.

“We believe we will be able to make claims for that €211 million,” Mr O’Toole said. “That will be our aim.”

He said that the authority had previously recorded information about certain courses on an estimated basis and then later reconciled it on an annual basis. However, the EU wanted the actual expenditure recorded and this system change would be introduced.

Mr O’Toole apologised to persons who had completed some Fás courses but had not been issued with certificates. There had been a problem in this area but the authority would resolve it as soon as it could.

He said that the organisation was going through a fundamental change and the issue of a new name could come up in that context.

Policy and budget functions in the authority’s employment and community services divisions are to be transferred to the Department of Social Protection on October 1st. Operational functions in these areas will be transferred once the required legislation is passed. This will involve about half of the authority being transferred.

The authority will emerge as a re-focused skills agency at the end of a strategic review, Mr O’Toole said. Fás staff were doing their best for the large number of people now out of work, he said.

There are three main items on the board’s agenda – the organisation’s current performance, issues surrounding contracted training and the strategy for the future of its operations.

Ruairí Quinn of the Labour Party has suggested that Fás should be closed down but Eamon Devoy, general secretary of the Technical Engineering Union, said that Fás needed renewal but not dismantling.

“Fás is carrying out its core activities extremely well,” he said.