03 March 2006
Serious failings in the management and control of a public sector joint venture, which led to substantial financial losses, have been revealed in a report from the auditor general for Northern Ireland, John Dowdall.
The company, Into the West, was given £1.2m by five district councils, the government-funded Local Enterprise Development Unit and the International Fund for Ireland, an independent organisation promoting peace and stability in Ireland.
Into the West employed 18 agents around the world to promote the western area of Northern Ireland. But the auditor's report found that only two of these were appointed through competition and only four were interviewed. The agents' performance was poor in five years only £850 was paid in performance bonuses.
'Little was achieved in return for the considerable sums of public funds paid out,' concludes the report. It is clear that there were serious failings in the management and control of ITW [Into the West], at both a board and an operational level and also within LEDU.'
PFmar2006
