Results 1,701-1,720 of 1,995 for speaker:Joe Flaherty

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: That is grand. The next question is for Mr. Halford. There is a television programme coming up. There has been much media attention. How damaged will the industry be as a result of this?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: Mr. Grassick clarified the association is a representative body. Where does the association see itself in terms of the challenges that are emerging? If we get a high-profile UK television programme, it will leave a light bulb on us for a long time afterwards. Are they positioning themselves or where do they see their role in protecting the industry and trying to address the tarnishing of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: That is grand. I am halfway with my questions but I take from this that the association has a zero tolerance approach to any wrongdoing by any of its members.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: As for my final two questions, Mr. Grassick mentioned there is a trainer in the news at present. What he said has been widely reported. Mr. Grassick mentioned the trainer parted with the association on 19 March. Was that of his own volition or, as they say down the country, "was there a falling out"?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: My final question is more of an observation. As Mr. Grassick will be aware, we had Dr. Hillyer before us last week and she was impressive. Everybody agrees she has done outstanding work since she has come into that role. I was pleased to hear trainers signed up, as far back as November last, for pre-race testing for all runners on the basis that no horse would be singled out and that it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: I will be brief. I have two questions. The first is for Mr. Kavanagh. We had representatives from the IRTA before us at our previous session. There was surprise among some of my colleagues on the committee that they were not more critical of the IHRB. They were somewhat surprised to learn that there seems to be a somewhat harmonious relationship between the organisations. Generally, we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: I am happy for Mr. Egan to respond.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: I asked specifically about the IRTA. What is the relationship there?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: My final question is for Dr. Hillyer. When we spoke with representatives from the IRTA earlier, they told us that in discussions with the IHRB in November, it was agreed that pre-race testing would be for all horses and that horses would not be singled out, because the trainers felt that it would be unfair to the horses that were tested. It seems to be a fair and equitable approach. I am...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: Yes. Why has it not been implemented and when is it going to be implemented? It will provide a huge reassurance to the general public.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: There are other members who want to contribute and I do not wish to take up their time. Dr. Hillyer did give us that background at the previous meeting. The specific question is as follows: when can the general public see pre-race testing, in whatever format it takes, for all racehorses?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alleged Issues in the Horse Racing Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: By imminent, does Dr. Hillyer mean in a month or in three months? Will we see it being introduced before the end of the year?

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: 72. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the new apprenticeship programmes due to come on stream in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36852/21]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (8 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: 110. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of community Gardaí in the Roscommon-Longford division; the number of community Gardaí in the Westmeath division; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36816/21]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Projects (8 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: 125. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will report on the Local Community Safety Partnership pilot in Longford; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36817/21]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Challenges Facing the Retail Sector: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: I thank the Chairman for allowing me to contribute. I thank the witnesses for participating in this meeting. It has been informative. I will go through a few points, buried within which will be a couple of questions, so the relevant witnesses might reply to me. I pay tribute to the retailers large and small who have come back. I will follow up on the point made by Mr. Rogers. I know...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Challenges Facing the Retail Sector: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: Could Mr. Rogers come back to me regarding the idea of a retail manager in terms of the traction he has got on that so far?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: I thank Mr. O'Rourke, Mr. Dunne, Ms Kavanagh and Mr. Neenan for an informative and pragmatic overview of the situation in which they find themselves. As a Government representative on the committee, I am both disappointed and somewhat embarrassed that there has been no progress. When we last met the witnesses, we met departmental officials as well, and maybe I was naive at the time but I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Task Force: Discussion (6 Jul 2021)

Joe Flaherty: I am okay. I thank the Chair.

Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (30 Jun 2021)

Joe Flaherty: I am proud and pleased for the Minister. He made it his a personal mission to get this legislation through. We made a commitment that it would be passed. I was a late addition to the housing committee. I sat through much of the debate on this Bill and noted the time the Minister gave to debate with us and Opposition Members throughout the committee hearings. At all times, he was...