An Foras Áiseanna Saothair, commonly known as FÁS - the Training and Employment Authority, is a state agency in the Republic of Ireland, with responsibility for assisting those seeking employment. The authority was established in January 1988 under the Labour Services Act, 1987 the authority is run by a board appointed by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, comprising of employer and trade union representatives. The authority was the successor to the An Chomhairle Oiliúna ("the training council", commonly referred to as AnCO), the National Manpower Service and the Youth Employment Agency. The Irish language word "fás" means "growth", and the authority was created in 1980s Ireland during the long economic downturn of the time. The authority runs a number of JobCentres in Ireland to facilitate those seeking employment, however it has occasionally been criticised, not least for the perception that it is simply a scheme to remove people from unemployment statistics - it has also been criticised for the expense of running it at almost €1 billon per annum. The authority runs training courses in various fields, through regional centres, although some of this work is being transferred to institutes of technology - including the apprenticeships in various fields that it regulates currently. The current Director General of FÁS is Mr. Rody Molloy. By tradition, the Director General of FÁS is a board member of Forfás. Brian Geoghegan (spouse of Mary Harney, TD., Minister for Health & Children.) is retiring as Chairman of FÁS at the end of 2005 and will be replaced by Peter McLoone. There had been some controversy regarding Geoghegan's position when it emerged he was also a board member of IBEC, the employer's union of Ireland. IBEC have been critical of FAS at times claiming, at various intervals, that some FAS courses and schemes are a waste of money, taking potential employees off the live register who could otherwise be employed in mainstream positions. The fact that Geoghegan is married to Minister Mary Harney, who was formerly the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, led to some claims he had a conflict of interest.
