Results 2,061-2,080 of 2,176 for speaker:Joe Flaherty

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Engagement on Matters Relating to Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Flaherty: If I still have time, I will come back to the Local Development Companies Network representatives. Irish Rural Link is doing fantastic work and we can see its growth. I visited Galway a couple of weekends ago and I could not believe it. Even in Longford, I see huge progress. People ring now and say they want more buses, which is great. We are coming to that time of year when people call...

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Engagement on Matters Relating to Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Flaherty: During the lifetime of the previous Government, we did a piece of work on where we would go with school transport, but I have a sense we did not engage with a sufficient number of stakeholders when that was being done.

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Engagement on Matters Relating to Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Flaherty: For example, if a Local Link route was tweaked by ten minutes, it could resolve an issue and get children to school on time rather than them being ten minutes late. Small tweaks such as that can really make a huge change for us.

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Engagement on Matters Relating to Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Flaherty: Deputy Aird was here.

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Engagement on Matters Relating to Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Flaherty: Sorry, Chair, just before they come in-----

Joint Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development: Engagement on Matters Relating to Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Flaherty: Sorry, Chair.

Seanad: Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation: Statements (24 Sep 2025)

Joe Flaherty: I thank the Minister for coming in today. Undoubtedly, one of the biggest challenges facing this State is the scaling of our infrastructure. I appreciate we have record levels of capital investment, but it is only reasonable and fair to say the national development plan 2025 to 2035 will be a defining one against the backdrop of rising population and bullish economic growth. It is vital we...

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Engagement with the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (23 Sep 2025)

Joe Flaherty: I thank the ombudsman for his very comprehensive report and excellent work over the past 20 years. It is probably a statutory issue but I will raise the 12-month time limit. Given someone is in the military and that it is very structured and leadership-oriented, the 12-month period probably seems very tight for submitting a concern but is that a statutory restriction?

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Engagement with the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (23 Sep 2025)

Joe Flaherty: Does every serving member get those letters?

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Engagement with the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (23 Sep 2025)

Joe Flaherty: That is fine for them but not for someone who did not do that, for instance, if I had an issue and the 12 months has passed and I have not engaged with the ombudsman's office.

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Engagement with the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (23 Sep 2025)

Joe Flaherty: I will defer to the ombudsman's experience on it. He said a lot of his findings - I think it is 96% - are accepted by the-----

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Engagement with the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (23 Sep 2025)

Joe Flaherty: So the findings are accepted, does the ombudsman see follow-through in subsequent policy? Does he actually see a change in direction?

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Engagement with the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (23 Sep 2025)

Joe Flaherty: I am just concerned about recommendations as a general rule. If the ombudsman makes a direction or an observation, it has to be followed through.

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Engagement with the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (23 Sep 2025)

Joe Flaherty: Chair, I have one final question.

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Engagement with the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (23 Sep 2025)

Joe Flaherty: There is a new position within the Army, which is the head of transformation, Mr. Brian Molloy. It is an important function and he is trying to oversee a lot of changes. Has Mr. Molloy engaged with the ombudsman's office?

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Engagement with the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (23 Sep 2025)

Joe Flaherty: Mr. Molloy is also a civilian. Given the office of the ombudsman's 20-year volume of work, it has probably seen the nooks and crannies and what was historically wrong in the Defence Forces. It would be very important that the ombudsman would feed into Mr. Molloy's work. He will hopefully guide or provide the pointers for seismic changes in our Defence Forces so it is very important there...

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Engagement with the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces (23 Sep 2025)

Joe Flaherty: Will Mr. O'Connor undertake to make contact with Mr. Molloy and make available to him those findings over the 20 years. I commend the ombudsman on his work. The report was very impressive. It is great to see a 40% reduction on prior years, which we have to take as a positive. Most things are going the other way so we will take the positives out of that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Affordable Housing: Discussion (23 Sep 2025)

Joe Flaherty: How often would the Department-----