Results 5,501-5,520 of 21,440 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Equality Proofing of Budgets (9 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: If the Minister's objectives have been to underwrite fairness and equity in his budgetary efforts, he has clearly and manifestly failed. If his objective has been to enhance growth, he certainly has failed because officials tell us that we have precisely 0% growth this year. I asked the Minister about equality budgeting and I have raised this issue with him many times. It is clear to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Equality Proofing of Budgets (9 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: There has not been a profound sea-change. That is the difficulty. I stand corrected that there will be 0.2% growth this year.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Equality Proofing of Budgets (9 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: Bravo. Good for the Government. It is, however, hardly a resounding success. In the most recent budget, the Government imposed a property tax on family homes and cut child benefit, the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance, jobseeker's benefit and the respite care grant. It also increased fees for students at third level, raised the thresholds relating to student grants, etc. I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Equality Proofing of Budgets (9 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: Yes, they were difficult for the people on the receiving end.

Other Questions: Open Government Partnership (9 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I welcome the good work that was done in respect of the consultation with civic society during the summer months. In light of that, what does the Minister make of the open letter yesterday from eight civil society organisations - the National Women's Council of Ireland, FLAC, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, the Children's Rights Alliance, Open, Gay and Lesbian Equality Network,...

Other Questions: Equality Proofing of Budgets (9 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: That is very gallant of him. This echoes the sentiment of my earlier question. The Minister instanced the area of DEIS and said that the Government did not touch those posts for the most disadvantaged schools. However, this was only because it got caught out. The Minister for Education and Skills was heading like a steam train to remove teachers from the most disadvantaged schools in the...

Other Questions: National Procurement Service Savings (9 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I support Deputy Sean Fleming. In fairness to the Government, it has rightly prioritised this issue. However, we must not only consider the value for money aspect, but also the local employment element. I am sure that the Minister and his colleagues are aware of the significant alarm in the stationery sector. There is a belief among long-established domestic companies that jobs will be...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Ministerial Pensions (9 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: 26. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide in tabular form the post Haddington Road agreement annual pension payment to former office holders and where applicable to provide former Ministers’ and taoisigh TD pensions also in a separate column. [42512/13]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Licence Sale (9 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: 42. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the impact the legal proceedings initiated by The Rehab Group and Rehab Lotteries will have on the tendering process of the new national lottery licence. [42513/13]

Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Tánaiste has said the report makes for difficult reading - for nobody more than for the Halappanavar family, the family of Tania McCabe, for many other families and for any woman, particularly any woman of child-bearing age who may at some stage rely on the maternity services in the State. The Tánaiste described the report as a good report; I would describe it as a damning...

Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: We have another tragic turn of events and the same sort of event unfolds again. That is not accountability; that is a matter of farce - a very dangerous farce for women's health. What about the accountability and, crucially, what about the resources?

Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: Next Tuesday is budget day when decisions on spending will be made, including in the area of health. What comfort and reassurance can the Tánaiste give to women, who are potential users of the maternity services, that the issue of lack of resources, identified fairly and squarely by HSE spokespersons as recently as this morning, will be addressed?

Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: When "never again" is said on this occasion, it needs to mean never again. I suggest to the Tánaiste that this means that he ought to ask the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, to explain to him, the Cabinet and to those of us in the Chamber how it is that only five out of 19 maternity facilities introduced the guidelines. We want to know why that is the case and the public...

Leaders' Questions (10 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: This morning, not only the HSE spokesperson but the masters of the maternity hospitals have been saying that they are struggling to cope with the level of births and the level of services they must provide in our maternity hospitals. We all know it and they have been saying it for a very long time. The report identifies failures in management and accountability, including political...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Job Numbers (10 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: 11. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of posts that were expected to be created in 2012 for which €2.8 million of employment grants were returned to the Industrial Development Agency. [42587/13]

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Job Numbers (10 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: 18. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of new posts supported by the Industrial Development Agency that were to be realised in 2013; and the number of such posts that are in place to date. [42586/13]

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I would like to second the comments on Mr. Quigley and the work he has done. I want to go back to the issue of the reappointment of the former president. Dr. Neavyn said that his understanding was that that was not a recommendation from the governing body. On what does he base his understanding?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: Can Dr. Neavyn take us back to his initial appointment and the manner of it?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: Who was involved in that interview process in 2001?

Public Accounts Committee: Special Report No. 78 of the Comptroller and Auditor General: Matters Arising out of Education Audits (Resumed) (10 Oct 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Minister accepts the appointment on the advice given.