THE FÁS expenses controversy has revealed the existence of "a cosy circle" between Cabinet Ministers and senior Fás executives and board members, including trade union representatives, the leader of the Labour Party, Eamon Gilmore has declared.
"The disclosures that have emerged in recent weeks about gross mismanagement in Fás and the splurging of public money have quite rightly infuriated taxpayers," said Mr Gilmore, opening Labour's conference in Kilkenny.
Pointing out that five Ministers had "sampled the delights of Florida" at the expense of Fás, Mr Gilmore said Ministers had "ensured that Fás got plenty of money", while Fás, in return, "lavished gifts and expensive foreign travel to pleasant foreign locations on their political paymasters".
"I am not surprised that some of those at the top in Fás appear to have adopted 'a money doesn't matter and waste of taxpayers' money is not important' approach - given the example they were getting from the political masters," he said.
Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney should resign because of her handling of the health service, he added, if not over this week's controversy about hair-dressing bills incurred during her 2004 Fás-organised visit to Florida. The controversy about the Minister "has served only to divert attention away" from much bigger mis-spending by Fás where "vast sums are being wasted on vanity projects and being spent without proper tendering procedures".
Labour, Mr Gilmore said, had no confidence in Ms Harney "not because of what might have happened in Florida in 2004, but because of her absolute failure as a Minister for Health", particularly in cancer treatments.
"While I have every respect for her as an individual, Mary Harney is now a politician without a party and a Minister without a vision. It is time for her to go," he told the conference in Kilkenny, which will continue until Sunday.
Opening his speech to delegates, Mr Gilmore said that the gathering was taking place "against the backdrop of the most difficult social and economic situations that we have faced - certainly since the 1980s and possibly since the foundation of the State".
Demanding an immediate general election, the Labour leader said: "Rarely before has a government faced such a range of daunting challenges. Never before have we had a government that appears so incapable of meeting the challenge.
"Since the general election, and particularly since the election of Brian Cowen, this Government has staggered from crisis to crisis, gaffe to gaffe and own goal to own goal," he said, adding that it had failed to appreciate the economic downturn.
"I would like to see an election now, but I know that Fianna Fáil's instinct will be to cling to power for as long as possible, regardless of the damage it will do the country, while the last thing the Greens want is to have to face the wrath of an angry people," Mr Gilmore continued.
Labour, he warned, will move the writ for the byelection needed to fill the Dáil Dublin South vacancy left by the death of former Cabinet minister Séamus Brennan. This would happen once the Dáil resumes in late January after the Christmas recess if the Government does not itself do so.
"It is now over five months since the sad death of the much respected Séamus Brennan, but there is no indication as to when the Government plans to hold the byelection required following his death," he said.
Labour has already selected Senator Alex White as its candidate.
