Why not? A public servant can do whever they like once they have done their days work. Just because they are away on business it doesn't mean that they have to work 24/7
Why not? A public servant can do whever they like once they have done their days work. Just because they are away on business it doesn't mean that they have to work 24/7
The Fas staffer who’s management style forced at least 5 companies to pursue legal avenues costing Fas in excess of 1.75m legal fees and theire own fee's.( Fas legal team is one of the big five, and never appeared with out at least a SC, JC and whole battalion of legal assistants) and when the staffer was moved side wards,( most if not all these legal issues could have been negotiated or compromised to a much less costly conclusion) he took a constructive dismissal action and won and was reinstated to old position and has since resumed the hmmm confrontational agenda again ( and these where the actions we where aware of, could be many more). The usual suspects from Fas were then sent on a court witness training course( approx 3k per head)so that they wouldn’t make a continuing hash of there “lets play at been a high court judge” game. Another couple of million down the drain( time period 2004-2007), then nearly one years leave with pay while the constructive dismissal action was dealt with. The staffers legal fee where of course paid by Fas.( Fas paying to sue themselves!!!!)
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And now we find out that parts of FAS internal audit is not being made available to the public accounts committee for legal reasons. It is time to sack the board and put new people in so we can find out exactly what has been going on in there. It is getting obvious that the current board and chairman is compromised. The whole thing is a farce.
If FAS are just following general public service travel and expense guidelines then this has much wider implications.
The fact that FAS are blacking out sections of the accounts which they have submitted to the public accounts committee may or may not have legal implications, we will have to wait and see.
What this does do is show yet again that the government (and the so called managers within departments) are incapable of spending our money in anything approaching a judicious way. It also reinforces the perception that the public sector is run for the benefit of the people who work in it rather than the country as a whole. I am not suggesting that this is the attitude of most of the employees but it does seem to be the overarching culture as expressed in the actions of senior management and the Unions. I am sure that many of the staff working in FAS, and many other state and semi-state bodies feel the double frustration of seeing how the resources that they need are being wasted and being tarred with the same brush as the guys who see nothing wrong with spending around a quarter of a million Euro a year on travel and expenses.
The fact that FAS are blacking out sections of the accounts which they have submitted to the public accounts committee may or may not have legal implications, we will have to wait and see.
What this does do is show yet again that the government (and the so called managers within departments) are incapable of spending our money in anything approaching a judicious way. It also reinforces the perception that the public sector is run for the benefit of the people who work in it rather than the country as a whole. I am not suggesting that this is the attitude of most of the employees but it does seem to be the overarching culture as expressed in the actions of senior management and the Unions. I am sure that many of the staff working in FAS, and many other state and semi-state bodies feel the double frustration of seeing how the resources that they need are being wasted and being tarred with the same brush as the guys who see nothing wrong with spending around a quarter of a million Euro a year on travel and expenses.
St. Bernard
Registered User
- Messages
- 149
The whole Motor & Travel policy needs to be addressed. This is outrageous. It would never happen on my watch. I work for a multi billion euro company and i see everything that goes through expenses, company credit cards etc etc.
Never ever happen on my watch tut tut tut
Never ever happen on my watch tut tut tut
I agree. I would say it is very fustrating for employees on the front line to be hearing these stories and dealing with struggling unemployed members of the public at the same time. They must get some abuse. If the guy had any sort of decency, he would resign straight away and so would the rest of the board. Cowan could come to deeply regret supporting him like he did.
I had to laugh when I heard about the blacked-out entries in the accounts. It reminded me of something involving Jason Bourne, CIA, covert ops, 'the company', plausible deniability, etc . . .
You can see the scene now . . . senior people sitting in front of the public account committee, telling them that there are some things they can't discuss, some things that it's better nobody knew about, national security, etc . . .
You want the truth ? You want the truth ? You can't handle the truth . . .
This is FAS, what on earth could they be doing that would warrant blacking-out in the accounts ? Maybe changing their training profile and moving into lego house construction or something that would really annoy one of their current interest groups.
z
You can see the scene now . . . senior people sitting in front of the public account committee, telling them that there are some things they can't discuss, some things that it's better nobody knew about, national security, etc . . .
You want the truth ? You want the truth ? You can't handle the truth . . .
This is FAS, what on earth could they be doing that would warrant blacking-out in the accounts ? Maybe changing their training profile and moving into lego house construction or something that would really annoy one of their current interest groups.
z
What I find even more outrageous & comical is the fact that they’re blowing all this money on that science program over in Florida while at the same time so many apprentices in Ireland cannot even get a spot in the class room aspect of their respective courses in their own region, I know of 2 friends electrician & carpenter, both from Dublin but have had courses delayed by 6 months plus as there were no spaces available for them, and when a space arises they’re shunted off to Letterkenny, Carlow, Enniskillen for 10-12 weeks. Both guys took over 5 years to complete their apprentices as they had been delayed time and again by FAS.
Also, the most sickening part of the report I thought was the executive who’s travel expense was signed off by the Director General, his travel consisted of Taking a Volvo on the Ferry to France in June for 4 weeks.....hmmmm does that really sound work related!!!!!! $410 for getting the nails done also takes the p1ss big time
These guys think they’re untouchable...sad thing is they probably are
Well done Shane Ross for raising this FAS issue time and time again
These guys think they’re untouchable...sad thing is they probably are
Well done Shane Ross for raising this FAS issue time and time again
I agree. He’s from Birr, down the road from Brian. This sort of “I know him well, he’s a descent skin” attitude is sickening.
T
Teabag
Guest
Is that an apology to the good people of Florida ?
From today’s Irish Times “the Fás Science Challenge project, which spent over €600,000 on transatlantic travel for the director general of Fás, Rody Molloy, his wife and senior Fás executives in a four-year period.” If this is the case then it’s €600’000 for Mr Molloy and an unknown number of other executives. This changes everything; it may not be that big a deal after all. Until we know how many people this €600’000 applies to, specifically what projects they were working on and what the returns were in jobs, investment etc over the four years I don’t feel I can stay on the bandwagon. (Not that Rody Molloy cares but) I reserve my judgement on this specific story ‘till I have more of the facts.
It does seem clear that there needs to be a much greater level of oversight in the public sector.
I suggest that the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General needs to be expanded.
It does seem clear that there needs to be a much greater level of oversight in the public sector.
I suggest that the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General needs to be expanded.
I don't think anyone ever claimed that Molloy ran up the 600k alone. It's plain when you look at the line items (nail bars, rounds of golf, ppv movies, ministerial gifts, first class flights and car ferry bills, etc. etc.) that the expense account could have some questionable transactions.
I'd like to know much more about this supposed "science project" and see some cost-benefit analysis on same.
Duke of Marmalade
Registered User
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- 4,508
We are told that our heroes need first class cross Atlantic travel so as to be fresh and fit for the job. Fair enough. What annoys me is when they trade down to business class so as to bring the wife. Now the taxpayer has a double whammy - we are out the dosh yet our man arrives unfit for task.
There isn't even a business class flight direct to Florida (Aer Lingus is economy only to Orlando) so it would have to be via the UK to get first class. And as I think has already been mentioned, there is really NO justification for any public employees travelling first class - there is a marginal difference in comfort but the price can be a 2-3 times multiple. Once you've got a flat bed, power for your laptop and enough space to spread out some papers and stick your elbows out while you work on your laptop (and you get all this in business class), anything extra is an unnecessary extravagance. I'm really shocked that senior civil servants (how senior/how many?) are 'entitled' to this.
Sure, it is only one year. The HSE has had people suspended on full pay for years. It is such a mess they just seem to have been forgotten about...