Fàs involved in ridiculous spending up to €5.7m - €900 on golf, €400 on beau

turgon

The Irish Examiner reported this morning that the bosses of Fas were invoved in some outragous spending. The total travel bill for the year was 5.7 million I think. What is baffaling is the stuff this money was spent on. 900 euro was spent for the boss to go play golf. His wife charged Fas 400 euro for a manicure. All the trips around the place are first class too, which seems to be unneccasary excess.

No doubt this is a disgrace, and thos who abused the system should be removed of their responsibilities. It would be nice as well if they were charged for all the unneccasary stuff.

In the wider scheme of things one has to consider how much waste is going on in other places of the government. Especcially in the time of reccession, but also at all times, this waste has to be curbed. Was not that vaccine program going to cost 10-12 million?? How about cutting Fàs' out of control spending, shouldnt take long to find the required finance to save peoples lives.

CCCP^

It's fecking endemic. This country has seen some absolutely mindless waste of resources in the past few years, it's sickening. What was it, 500 million on a stadium that was never built? How much was spent on those E-voting machines? I'd really like to see head's roll.

meglome

CCCP^ wrote: »

500 million on a stadium that was never built?

Em I think that may be wrong, it didn't even cost that to build croke park.

xOxSinéadxOx

and he described the money he that he spent on films in the hotels as chicken feed or something to that effect. If he thinks it's chicken feed then why didn't he pay for it himself the greedy bastard. I know it was only about $20 or something but the fact that he expects us to pay for it is ridiculous and paying for his wife to go on all his 'business' trips! his attitude is just all wrong :mad:

Tipsy Mac

€908 tip, nice spend of my taxes, you scum...

Fas held a €200-a-head dinner for 33 people in Dublin's five star Merrion Hotel in June 2006. They took a private room.

The total bill fell just short of seven grand (€6,962) but the wine bill came to a stunning €1,724, mostly featuring a cheeky little Cabernet Sauvignon at €48 a bottle. The room cost €550 to hire. The generous FAS top brass even gave tips -- courtesy of the taxpayer -- of just short of a grand (€908).

silverharp

I have to deal with them at work and they are clowns, they waste untold amounts of money on consultants because god forbid anyone actually had to make a decision, and their structure is dysfuntional they dont even obey their own rules and regulations, you are always at the whim of some little upstart in their regional offices.
the gov. should think about cutting their budgets before raising taxes

old boy

silverharp wrote: »

I have to deal with them at work and they are clowns, they waste untold amounts of money on consultants because god forbid anyone actually had to make a decision, and their structure is dysfuntional they dont even obey their own rules and regulations, you are always at the whim of some little upstart in their regional offices.
the gov. should think about cutting their budgets before raising taxes

cut them as fast as possible egotistic arragont S.O.Bs

murfie

FÁS Director General Rody Molloy has just handed in his resignation! Looks like this story has unleashed more than we know about. From defending the spending to stepping down in one day!

trishasaffron

murfie wrote: »

FÁS Director General Rody Molloy has just handed in his resignation! Looks like this story has unleashed more than we know about. From defending the spending to stepping down in one day!

Hey where did you see that ? Can't find a reference anywhere

Frankie Lee

Surely there is some way the state can sue him over the misappropriation of funds.

I have a strong feeling there is more to this case than meets the eye.

tallus

It was just on RTE news

Aidric

trishasaffron wrote: »

Hey where did you see that ? Can't find a reference anywhere

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1125/fas.html

ateam

Obviously pushed. If you listen to his interview with Pat Kenny on Monday morning, he didn't seem to think the expenses was even an issue.

Delighted he has been sacked. Disgrace the amount of money spent on expenses. The whole board should be sacked.

Frankie Lee

There needs to be a full investigation and people need to be strung out by the balls, but what worries me is that there is a lot of right wing vultures circling fas who will use this opportunity to call for privatisation.

spadder

Why did Cowen back this idiot yesterday? Malloy's performance on Pat Kenny was up there with P.Flynn. Cmon Cowen explain yourself now.

Frankie Lee

FF and the leadership of FAS are linked apparently hence the reason FG have been barking about this for the past year as soon as they smelt a rat.

Thats my theory anyway.

eigrod

Frankie Lee wrote: »

FF and the leadership of FAS are linked apparently hence the reason FG have been barking about this for the past year as soon as they smelt a rat.

Thats my theory anyway.

Roddy Molloy is from Offaly also.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

silverharp

donegalfella wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

well they both have their fair share of space cadets!

Nodin

Well, whatever about that, it appears the Space Commander has opted to head for the escape pod.

The Director General of FÁS, Rody Molloy, has resigned.
The announcement was made shortly before 11pm by Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Mary Coughlan.
In her statement she thanked Mr Molloy for his many years of public service both in the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment and for the past eight years as Director General of FÁS.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1125/fas.html

eoin5

Nodin wrote: »

Well, whatever about that, it appears the Space Commander has opted to head for the escape pod.


http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1125/fas.html

Tis a pity we cant get him to pay some of it back though.

markpb

Don't worry, in a few weeks when the fuss has died down he'll be silently slipped back into a new cushy government job, possibly An Board Snip or something ironic like that.

ednwireland

could someone explain why he's not being hauled over the coals by the public accounts committee, he's still responsible for sanctioning the spending of that money just cos he's resigned doesn't mean he's off the hook (well it does because he's a political appointment ) i really hope the do him for misapropriation of public money in a criminal court ( and the rest of them), but i doubt it
why was he flying first class ffs reckon thats the thin end of the wedge thers more dodgy dealings going on that we'll probably never hear of now.

mike65

He should still go before the committee. Good to see the Greens are as inept as ever, issuing a statement of support only 5 hours before he walked.

Mike

Fratton Fred

FAS has a budget of €1bn per year. that is an incredible amount of money considering unemployment has been so low up until recently.

They spend €55,000 a year membership fees of IBEC, why? they spend a fortune with IBEC on consulting, why?

They also have several IBEC directors as board memebrs, all of whom earn €14k per year to attend a few board meetings. They pay the head of the Trade Unions €24k per year as chairman.

The trouble is, they will make cuts, but it is the poor sods at the coalface who will get hit, none of these fat cats.

markpb

Fratton Fred wrote: »

They also have several IBEC directors as board memebrs, all of whom earn €14k per year to attend a few board meetings. They pay the head of the Trade Unions €24k per year as chairman. The trouble is, they will make cuts, but it is the poor sods at the coalface who will get hit, none of these fat cats.

There was an article in a paper recently (can't remember which one, sorry) which suggested that giving SIPTU and IBEC leaders well-paid state appointments was an idea by Bertie the fixer to make them more amenable to the national pay deals.

spadder

Dan Boyle now on the radio defending Brian cowen's decision to back Malloy.

Gimps the lot of them, I am sick to my back teeth with this government.
They should be shoved up a dead dogs hole and burned in their quango buddies incinerators

turgon

spadder wrote: »

Dan Boyle now on the radio defending Brian cowen's decision to back Malloy.

Just another reason to dismiss Greena Fàil.

The_Minister

donegalfella wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

NASA are involved in a good deal of scientific research as well, and provide many lucrative contracts to science companies around the world. There are loads of good reasons to have links with NASA.

What isn't really acceptable is flying first class everywhere.

spadder

What about the european space agency? should we not be selling our guaranteed irish spacecraft there?

jmayo

donegalfella wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Ah but sure he traded in the first class tickets for two business class tickets so the wife could over for a manicure.
Since we paid for it, under Freedom of Information act we should be told if the films he watched in his hotel room involved Debbie from Dallas or maybe Mary from Rhode.

ednwireland wrote: »

could someone explain why he's not being hauled over the coals by the public accounts committee, he's still responsible for sanctioning the spending of that money just cos he's resigned doesn't mean he's off the hook (well it does because he's a political appointment ) i really hope the do him for misapropriation of public money in a criminal court ( and the rest of them), but i doubt it
why was he flying first class ffs reckon thats the thin end of the wedge thers more dodgy dealings going on that we'll probably never hear of now.

Because Fás have treated the public accounts committee with pure contempt. Acording to Allen they had to push for information, then they were handed blacked out documents and then the lawyers have claimed that they do not legally have to disclose some of their accounts.
Obviously the top secret agreements between Fás, the NSA and NASA must be protected from public disclosure :rolleyes:

Bernard Allen has stated that Molloy was not there in personal capacity but as executive of Fás and that other executives will have the same questions to answer.
Also he said that he regretted Molloy will not now be going in front of the committee tomorrow.
Of course Molloy should be billed by Comptroller and Auditor General for any expenses deemed unneccessary.
It would set a nice precedent and teach the other fat cats a lesson.

I believe there have been upto 60 investigations running within or outside Fás about their accounting/spending.