THE STATE training agency Fás has sought to assure people who have completed courses that their qualifications are valid after a Fine Gael TD revealed new information about “corrupted” courses.
Louth TD Fergus O’Dowd said a company in the northeast contracted by Fás to provide courses, at the end of which he said pass grades had been awarded to students who had actually failed, had cost taxpayers €600,000.
“At the very heart of this is an incredible, appalling, disgraceful shame of running Fás,” he said.
Fás yesterday released a statement which said it took the quality of its programmes very seriously. Referring to the case highlighted by Mr O’Dowd, the statement said it occurred in 2006 and 2007 and the contractor was not now providing training on its behalf.
The statement said “non-compliance issues” were identified and reported by a Fás staff member. The training provider was monitored and a comprehensive audit undertaken, the statement said.
“In order to maintain the integrity of the training provided, Fás undertook to ensure an appropriate standard of training and re-assessed the learners. The certifying bodies were satisfied to issue the appropriate certification.
“Fás wishes to reassure all of its learners that the validity of their certification is not in question. Appropriate action has already been taken to address the specific points that arose in this matter and no Fás learner is at a disadvantage as a result.”
Mr O’Dowd had earlier told the Dáil the company provided seven courses, at a total cost to the taxpayer of more than €1 million made up of company fees and trainee allowances.
“Four of those seven courses. . . were corrupted. The material results were changed, they were fabricated. And the credibility of the awarding of those results goes to the heart of the lack of integrity in Fás, the rottenness that’s in the system from top to bottom.” Mr O’Dowd said “unfortunate trainees” had been conned. “We know that this is only in the northeast. Perhaps it happened elsewhere,” he said.
Responding to Mr O’Dowd in the Dáil yesterday, Minister of State Seán Haughey said an audit completed in February of this year found that in four contracts in the northeast “and Dublin north” assessment material had been manipulated and certification processes undermined.
Mr Haughey said Fás had indicated it would undertake a review of all current contracted courses. He noted that Fás had discovered there were issues regarding inappropriate certification of training provided in the northeast by the private firm in 2006 and 2007.
Meanwhile, Labour TD Róisín Shortall accused the Government of not adhering to Department of Finance guidelines relating to what she called “the €1.2 million golden handshake” for former Fás director general Rody Molloy.
“Documentation which has come into the public arena this week shows that officials in the Department of Finance advised that the severance package was not in compliance with the guidelines and therefore required formal Government approval,” Ms Shortall said.
“There is no evidence that this approval was sought and this leads me to conclude that it wasn’t, in order to keep Fianna Fáil’s Green Party partners in the dark.
“Also in relation to Mr Molloy holding on to this Audi 6 company car, documentation from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment claims that this decision had already been taken by the board when in fact the board did not meet until three weeks later.”
