Leagan Gaeilge thios/Irish version follows
Who is responsible for the collapse of MFG? – Ó Clochartaigh
‘An audit report by POBAL in 2010 into the running of the Gaeltacht community development company, MFG and a subsequent report by management consultants MAZARS done in August of this year highlight major issues in relation the organisation’s management and corporate responsibility practices which are completely unacceptable in a company of this type’, according to Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
Community development company Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta teo., went into liquidation last month with a loss of 130 jobs in the Gaeltacht areas, but the Sinn Féin Senator is now seeking an independent inquiry as to what went wrong in the company. ‘Copies of the reports which are now publicly available indicate that MFG was not fulfilling its obligations properly, nor was it administering the programmes under its auspices in a proper manner. It doesn’t appear that the board, or management, had proper controls in place, despite being entrusted with millions of taxpayer’s money to spend’, according to Ó Clochartaigh.
‘The audit report describes for example, a board that was not authorising payments properly, which wasn’t being furnished with management accounts to monitor, on subcommittees which were spending without authority, that pre-signed cheques were being used, that proper expenditure files were not being kept, that funders were being given misleading and incomplete information and much, much more. This raises the question was anybody in charge in MFG? Were the board remiss in their responsibilities? Were the management remiss in their responsibilities? Were POBAL and the Department remiss in their monitoring of the programmes and programme expenditure?’, according to Ó Clochartaigh.
‘The reports also indicate that MFG was not able to manage the extra responsibilities which were put upon it as part of the ‘cohesion’process with Cumas teo. (the Connemara partnership company) and the Erris LEADER company and this raises questions as regards the logic of the then Minister in pushing ahead with this strategy and why the consultants who were engaged at the time and the organisation entrusted with facilitating the process, allowed the process to go ahead’, says the Galway West Senator.
‘It is clear from the correspondence with POBAL that the Chairman of MFG was instructed to present copies of the audit report and the appendices to each individual director of MFG. If this did not happen it should be explained why not and if it did there is an onus on the directors to explain why they did not take the steps necessary to correct the shortcomings of the company to rectify the situation’, says the Senator.
‘In spite of all its difficulties, it is clear from the MAZARS report that the company could have been salvaged if the management and board had taken the proper steps to save it, but that didn’t happen either. People are now on the dole queue who have bills to pay and families to raise, communities are being starved of essential funding for projects and creditors are out of pocket because of the collapse of this company and they deserve answers as to why all this has happened’, says Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
‘It simply isn’t good enough to allow MFG to disappear without asking these fundamental questions and more. It is quite apparent that the process of management and monitoring of these community development programmes such as LEADER, LCDP, the Rural Transport Programme and
others which were awarded to MFG, failed miserably, This lack of governance reminds me of the soft regulation regime which was endemic in our banking system’, says Ó Clochartaigh. ‘We need a full and open debate on these matters to ensure that the same thing doesn’t happen again and to put any corrective measures necessary in place’.
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Cé tá freagrach as teip MFG? – Ó Clochartaigh
‘Léiríonn an iniúchadh a rinne POBAL ar an gcomhlacht forbartha Gaeltachta, MFG i 2010 agus an tuairisc a chuir MAZARS ar fáil dóibh i mí Lúnasa go raibh cleachtais bainistíochta agus freagracht corparáideach ar siúl san eagraíocht nach raibh sásúil beag ná mór i gcomhlacht den chineál seo’, dar leis an Seanadoir Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
Chuaigh an comhlacht forbartha pobail Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta faoi lámha leachtaitheora an mhí seo caite agus cailleadh 130 post sna ceantair Ghaeltachta, ach tá an Seanadoir as Sinn Féin anois ag lorg fiosrúchán neamhspleách maidir leis an méid a tharla sa gcomhlacht. ‘Léiríonn cóipeanna den dá thuairisc atá anois ar fáil go poiblí, nach raibh MFG ag comhlíonadh a gcuid dualgais mar is ceart ná ag riaradh na gcláracha a bhí faoina gcúram mar ba chóir. Ní léir go raibh smacht ag an mbord, ná ag an mbainistíocht ar a raibh ag tarlú in MFG, in aineoinn na milliúin euro d’airgead cáiníocóra a bheith dhá chaitheamh acu’, dar leis an gClochartach.
‘Déantar cur síos sa tuairisc iniúchadh, mar shampla, ar bhord nach raibh ag údarú cinntí, nach raibh ag fáil cuntais le scrúdú, ar fhochoiste a bhí ag caitheamh airgead gan údarás, nach raibh údarás tugtha acu d’íocaíochtaí mar ba chóir, go raibh seiceanna réamhsínithe á scríobh sa gcomhlacht, nach raibh comhaid dhá choinneáil ar chaiteachas, go raibh eolas míchruínn dhá thabhairt do lucht maoinithe agus go leor, leor eile. Ardaíonn seo an cheist an raibh aon duine i gceannas agus cé atá freagrach as teip MFG? An raibh an Bord agus na stiúrthóirí failíoch ina gcuid cúraimí? An raibh an bhainistíocht failíoch? An raibh POBAL agus an Roinn failíoch i monatóireacht a dhéanamh agus cur i bhfeidhm na gcláracha a smachtú mar ba chóir?’, a deir Ó
Clochartaigh.
‘Léirítear chomh maith nach raibh an chomhlacht MFG ábalta an obair bhreise a cuireadh orthu de bharr an comhtháthú le Cumas teo. agus Comhar Leader Iorras a láimhseáil agus ardaíonn seo ceisteanna faoi cé chomh ciallmhar is a bhí sé ag an Aire a bhí ann an comhtháthú seo a bhrú ar aghaidh agus cén fáth ar mhol na comhairleoirí a bhí fostaithe ag an am agus an eagraíocht a rinne ‘éascú’ ar an bproiséas go leanfaí ar aghaidh leis?’, a deir Seanadóir Ghaillimh Thiar.
‘Tá se soiléir ón gcomhfhreagras ó POBAL gur dúradh le Cathaoirleach MFG go gcaithfí cóip den tuairisc iniúchadh agus an t-eolas a chuaigh leis a thabhairt do gach stiúrthóir. Munar tharla seo ba cheart go míneofaí cén fáth nár tharla. Má tharla sé, caithfear míniú cén fath nár ghníomhaigh na stiúrthóirí ar bhealach chun an comhlacht a tharrtháil’, a deir an Seanadóir.
‘In ainneoin na ndeacrachtaí ar fad, is léir ó tuairisc MAZARS go bhféadfadh an comhlacht a bheith slánaithe ach gníomh a bheith glactha in am ag an mbord stiúrtha agus ag an mbainistíocht, ach níor tharla sin ach an oiread. Tá daoine as obair a bhfuil fiacha orthu agus clanna le tógáil, tá pobail faoi bhrú gan maoiniú agus tá creidneoirí gan íocaíocht de bharr an teip agus tá freagraí dlite acu sin ar cén chaoi ar tharla sé seo ar fad’, a deir Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
‘Níl sé sách maith go ligfí le MFG gan na buncheisteanna seo agus tuilleadh a chuir. Is léir gur theip go tubaisteach ar an bproiséas maidir le cur i bhfeidhm agus bainistiú cuí a dhéanamh ar na cláracha pobail ar nós an LEADER, an LCDP, an Clár Taisteal Tuaithe agus eile a bhí faoina gcúram. Cuireann an easpa smachta seo an réimeas bog rialtóireachta a bhí ar siúl sna bainc i gcuimhne dom’, a deir an Seanadóir Ó Clochartaigh. ‘Ba cheart díospóireacht leathan a bheith ann faoin ábhar seo chun cinntiú nach dtarlaíonn a leithéad arís agus chun an teip sa chóras a chuir ina cheart’.
Who is responsible for the collapse of MFG? – Ó Clochartaigh
‘An audit report by POBAL in 2010 into the running of the Gaeltacht community development company, MFG and a subsequent report by management consultants MAZARS done in August of this year highlight major issues in relation the organisation’s management and corporate responsibility practices which are completely unacceptable in a company of this type’, according to Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
Community development company Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta teo., went into liquidation last month with a loss of 130 jobs in the Gaeltacht areas, but the Sinn Féin Senator is now seeking an independent inquiry as to what went wrong in the company. ‘Copies of the reports which are now publicly available indicate that MFG was not fulfilling its obligations properly, nor was it administering the programmes under its auspices in a proper manner. It doesn’t appear that the board, or management, had proper controls in place, despite being entrusted with millions of taxpayer’s money to spend’, according to Ó Clochartaigh.
‘The audit report describes for example, a board that was not authorising payments properly, which wasn’t being furnished with management accounts to monitor, on subcommittees which were spending without authority, that pre-signed cheques were being used, that proper expenditure files were not being kept, that funders were being given misleading and incomplete information and much, much more. This raises the question was anybody in charge in MFG? Were the board remiss in their responsibilities? Were the management remiss in their responsibilities? Were POBAL and the Department remiss in their monitoring of the programmes and programme expenditure?’, according to Ó Clochartaigh.
‘The reports also indicate that MFG was not able to manage the extra responsibilities which were put upon it as part of the ‘cohesion’process with Cumas teo. (the Connemara partnership company) and the Erris LEADER company and this raises questions as regards the logic of the then Minister in pushing ahead with this strategy and why the consultants who were engaged at the time and the organisation entrusted with facilitating the process, allowed the process to go ahead’, says the Galway West Senator.
‘It is clear from the correspondence with POBAL that the Chairman of MFG was instructed to present copies of the audit report and the appendices to each individual director of MFG. If this did not happen it should be explained why not and if it did there is an onus on the directors to explain why they did not take the steps necessary to correct the shortcomings of the company to rectify the situation’, says the Senator.
‘In spite of all its difficulties, it is clear from the MAZARS report that the company could have been salvaged if the management and board had taken the proper steps to save it, but that didn’t happen either. People are now on the dole queue who have bills to pay and families to raise, communities are being starved of essential funding for projects and creditors are out of pocket because of the collapse of this company and they deserve answers as to why all this has happened’, says Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
‘It simply isn’t good enough to allow MFG to disappear without asking these fundamental questions and more. It is quite apparent that the process of management and monitoring of these community development programmes such as LEADER, LCDP, the Rural Transport Programme and
others which were awarded to MFG, failed miserably, This lack of governance reminds me of the soft regulation regime which was endemic in our banking system’, says Ó Clochartaigh. ‘We need a full and open debate on these matters to ensure that the same thing doesn’t happen again and to put any corrective measures necessary in place’.
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Cé tá freagrach as teip MFG? – Ó Clochartaigh
‘Léiríonn an iniúchadh a rinne POBAL ar an gcomhlacht forbartha Gaeltachta, MFG i 2010 agus an tuairisc a chuir MAZARS ar fáil dóibh i mí Lúnasa go raibh cleachtais bainistíochta agus freagracht corparáideach ar siúl san eagraíocht nach raibh sásúil beag ná mór i gcomhlacht den chineál seo’, dar leis an Seanadoir Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
Chuaigh an comhlacht forbartha pobail Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta faoi lámha leachtaitheora an mhí seo caite agus cailleadh 130 post sna ceantair Ghaeltachta, ach tá an Seanadoir as Sinn Féin anois ag lorg fiosrúchán neamhspleách maidir leis an méid a tharla sa gcomhlacht. ‘Léiríonn cóipeanna den dá thuairisc atá anois ar fáil go poiblí, nach raibh MFG ag comhlíonadh a gcuid dualgais mar is ceart ná ag riaradh na gcláracha a bhí faoina gcúram mar ba chóir. Ní léir go raibh smacht ag an mbord, ná ag an mbainistíocht ar a raibh ag tarlú in MFG, in aineoinn na milliúin euro d’airgead cáiníocóra a bheith dhá chaitheamh acu’, dar leis an gClochartach.
‘Déantar cur síos sa tuairisc iniúchadh, mar shampla, ar bhord nach raibh ag údarú cinntí, nach raibh ag fáil cuntais le scrúdú, ar fhochoiste a bhí ag caitheamh airgead gan údarás, nach raibh údarás tugtha acu d’íocaíochtaí mar ba chóir, go raibh seiceanna réamhsínithe á scríobh sa gcomhlacht, nach raibh comhaid dhá choinneáil ar chaiteachas, go raibh eolas míchruínn dhá thabhairt do lucht maoinithe agus go leor, leor eile. Ardaíonn seo an cheist an raibh aon duine i gceannas agus cé atá freagrach as teip MFG? An raibh an Bord agus na stiúrthóirí failíoch ina gcuid cúraimí? An raibh an bhainistíocht failíoch? An raibh POBAL agus an Roinn failíoch i monatóireacht a dhéanamh agus cur i bhfeidhm na gcláracha a smachtú mar ba chóir?’, a deir Ó
Clochartaigh.
‘Léirítear chomh maith nach raibh an chomhlacht MFG ábalta an obair bhreise a cuireadh orthu de bharr an comhtháthú le Cumas teo. agus Comhar Leader Iorras a láimhseáil agus ardaíonn seo ceisteanna faoi cé chomh ciallmhar is a bhí sé ag an Aire a bhí ann an comhtháthú seo a bhrú ar aghaidh agus cén fáth ar mhol na comhairleoirí a bhí fostaithe ag an am agus an eagraíocht a rinne ‘éascú’ ar an bproiséas go leanfaí ar aghaidh leis?’, a deir Seanadóir Ghaillimh Thiar.
‘Tá se soiléir ón gcomhfhreagras ó POBAL gur dúradh le Cathaoirleach MFG go gcaithfí cóip den tuairisc iniúchadh agus an t-eolas a chuaigh leis a thabhairt do gach stiúrthóir. Munar tharla seo ba cheart go míneofaí cén fáth nár tharla. Má tharla sé, caithfear míniú cén fath nár ghníomhaigh na stiúrthóirí ar bhealach chun an comhlacht a tharrtháil’, a deir an Seanadóir.
‘In ainneoin na ndeacrachtaí ar fad, is léir ó tuairisc MAZARS go bhféadfadh an comhlacht a bheith slánaithe ach gníomh a bheith glactha in am ag an mbord stiúrtha agus ag an mbainistíocht, ach níor tharla sin ach an oiread. Tá daoine as obair a bhfuil fiacha orthu agus clanna le tógáil, tá pobail faoi bhrú gan maoiniú agus tá creidneoirí gan íocaíocht de bharr an teip agus tá freagraí dlite acu sin ar cén chaoi ar tharla sé seo ar fad’, a deir Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
‘Níl sé sách maith go ligfí le MFG gan na buncheisteanna seo agus tuilleadh a chuir. Is léir gur theip go tubaisteach ar an bproiséas maidir le cur i bhfeidhm agus bainistiú cuí a dhéanamh ar na cláracha pobail ar nós an LEADER, an LCDP, an Clár Taisteal Tuaithe agus eile a bhí faoina gcúram. Cuireann an easpa smachta seo an réimeas bog rialtóireachta a bhí ar siúl sna bainc i gcuimhne dom’, a deir an Seanadóir Ó Clochartaigh. ‘Ba cheart díospóireacht leathan a bheith ann faoin ábhar seo chun cinntiú nach dtarlaíonn a leithéad arís agus chun an teip sa chóras a chuir ina cheart’.
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