Too Little, Too Late.

Paul O’Toole, the Director General of FÁS, has hinted that the agency could change name, after making comments that the training and upskilling agency would change its focus following a strategic review.  He said that a "comprehensive" set of changes are already in place at the State training authority, and that the authority was doing its best to help the huge numbers out of work at the moment.

The Director General said that he was sorry that a number of trainees hadn’t yet received their certificates at the end of their courses, adding that they would be on the way soon:

‘We have identified some issues and are working our way through them,” he said, ‘We regret that people have had their certification delayed’ he said, adding this would ‘be resolved as soon as possible’

From the RTE web site, we read that the staff at FAS have been told that the break-up of FAS begins next month.  The first major step in the break-up of Fás as it was formerly organised is to take place on the first of next month, staff at the training authority have been told. The Irish Times says that the new director general of the authority, Paul O'Toole has informed them that responsibility for policy and budgets in the employment and community services areas are to be transferred to Éamon Ó Cuív's Department of Social Protection on October 1. The move means that approximately 40% of Fás staff will move to Mr Ó Cuív's department while the remainder will "in effect move to a revised form of skills organisation".  Approximately half of the Fás budget will move from the Department of Education and Skills to Mr Ó Cuív's department. Responsibility for Fás was moved from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to the Department of Education and Skills on May 1st last. The Tánaiste, Mary Coughlan made a similar move in March of this year in the Cabinet reshuffle. The change next month means the public offices of Fás and the community enterprise aspect of its operations begin the process of transferral to Mr Ó Cuív's department.

Anthony Quigley