Who should be exempt from Freedom of Information?
Myself and Minister Brendan Howlin discuss the need for exemptions in the new Freedom of Information legislation. I’m not sure why exemptions are needed given that the legislation also covers commercial sensitivity, so I asked the Minister. His answers offered little clarity.
Who needs international expert opinions?
I asked Enda Kenny what he made of the international expert opinion that was scathing about the Government’s proposed Freedom of Information Legislation. The Taoiseach wasn’t convinced of their bona fides, but here’s what some of them had to say: ARTICLE 19, a Human Rights organisation that focusses on FOI: ARTICLE 19 strongly opposes the...
A chat with Marian Finucane
On Saturday November 2, 2013 I was on the Marian Finucane Show on RTE 1 discussing how I went from engineering to working in as a business analyst in London and how I got into politics.
Five ways to fix the Health Service
In the United States, healthcare is referred to as the ‘third rail’ of politics. The saying comes from the subway system, where the third rail is the one with the electricity going through it. Hence the analogy – if you touch it, you’re dead. A phrase with which Minister for Health James Reilly can probably...
Do TDs really want Dáil Reform?
On October 17, 2013 I took part in the debate on Dáil reform. There weren’t a huge amount of TDs present during the debate to Standing Orders, which I think sends out a signal regarding how seriously reform is taken in Dáil Eireann.
Equality Budgeting: Improving Ireland’s budget
Last week I launched a report on the need for equality budgeting to be incorporated into Ireland’s budgetary process. Low to middle income earners have paid a heavier price in terms of the percentage increase in taxes they pay, according to a recent report from Grant Thornton. The Government needs to provide TDs with detailed...
