Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all of the speakers for attending and giving us an invaluable insight into this hugely important area. I have a particular interest in the ESB as I grew up in Lanesborough at the foot of the power station and surrounded by a lot of ESB staff. Many of those staff are retired and this is a key issue for them. A number of weeks ago I met Mick Casey, who is seated behind me with a stick so I shall be careful about what I say. I should have sat further away so I could eyeball him. He is a very enthusiastic chairman of the national pensioners federation. He gave me an invaluable insight into the situation and I came reasonably armed for this debate. It is great to get the opening statements as they give us a great insight into this matter.

The main thing is that the Bill will eliminate the six-month ban on going before the WRC, which is welcome. I will now focus on issues that have not been addressed in the Bill, which is the main thing to be done by this committee.

I refer to access to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman. Currently, access is only for an individual and a group is precluded from going. Were I to try to summarise the key issues, that would be one of them. Do the witnesses have any indication from the discussions they have had either with officials or the Minister's office that they are receptive to a change within the confines of this Bill?