FÁS has also more than doubled the number of training opportunities it offers since last year, to deal with what the agency’s new director general has called “an incredibly difficult time” for the people who seek their services.

Paul O’Toole, the former head of Tourism Ireland who was named earlier this year to succeed Rody Molloy, was in Donegal last week to visit FÁS centres in the county and meet with the staff there.

He said it was “probably never more important” that FÁS does its job well, pointing out that the agency helps people improve their skills and deal with changing employment circumstances through a spectrum of services.

As part of that brief, he said, the agency is now offering 3,000 training places “across the spectrum,” a more than 100 percent increase over the 1,300 places FÁS offered in 2008. He said the agency is also working to adapt its range of services to meet people’s changing needs.

About 6,300 people have come through the doors of Donegal’s FÁS offices over the first five months of the year, a significant increase over last year, he said.

Mr O’Toole visited the FÁS training centre in Letterkenny on Thursday, as part of the first trip he has made as director general, and was in the FÁS centre in Gaoth Dobhair on Friday. He began in the position about two weeks ago and plans to visit every FÁS training centre and as many FÁS offices as he can, to speak with staff members about their work and their concerns.

“You can read all the papers you want, but you can’t beat the opportunity to meet people in the field,” Mr. O’Toole said.

Mr Molloy, the former FÁS director general, resigned in November following a controversy over the expenses FÁS executives incurred.