Results 5,961-5,980 of 21,440 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald
- Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: One should bear in mind that the Government, and in particular, the Minister for Health, are the people in charge. What precisely does the Government intend to do to bring full clarity on this matter and to end the practices, some of which have been uncovered? It is only by doing this, by taking charge of the situation, that the Government has any hope of re-establishing that confidence in...
- Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: I am aware of that.
- Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: If the Tánaiste followed yesterday's meeting, he would know that at the tail end of the exchange with the Committee of Public Accounts, the information regarding the payments to the Mater hospital was unearthed. He also might have noticed, were he tuned in, that the HSE knew absolutely nothing about that. The top human resources person in the HSE was left dumbfounded by that...
- Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: The HIQA report was published in May 2012 and the audit took place almost one year later, in March 2013. It is now December 2013 and all the time, the Government seeks to put at arm's length, through HIQA-----
- Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: -----and through the HSE, the sole responsibility for dealing with this issue and that is not good enough. This leads me to suspect-----
- Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: -----there may be an ambivalence on the Government's part in respect of top-up payments and breaching of pay caps.
- Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: After all, the Tánaiste's own record is not terribly good on that matter. I put it to the Tánaiste again, what will the Government and the Minister for Health do directly to ensure that no one in the HSE can be told to get lost by any section 38 organisation?
- Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: The HSE knew nothing about it.
- Order of Business (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: The difficulty with all of this is more than just technical, a Cheann Comhairle-----
- Order of Business (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: -----in terms of how we proceed.
- Order of Business (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: Can I suggest that a debate is badly needed because-----
- Order of Business (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: -----on the one hand we are bringing forward a Supplementary Estimate, which is a recognition that the health budget has overrun or fallen short, and on the other we have not had sight of the plan that proposes €666 million of cuts? I ask the Tánaiste to square that circle if he can.
- Order of Business (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: In the absence of the service plan.
- Order of Business (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: On the issue of the Health Service Executive service plan, can the Tánaiste give us more definitive information on that? I know it was raised yesterday but when might we see this service plan that has been delayed? In respect of the Charities Act on the Statue Book since 2009, when will we see the oversight and enhanced accountability mechanisms? The Tánaiste indicated earlier...
- Order of Business (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: Do we see it then? Is it published?
- Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments)(Amendment) Bill 2013: Instruction to Committee (resumed) (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: I believe the objective of making savings in this area is shared across the board. While I presume it remains the view among workers and unions that those savings could have been achieved by means of more active control of the current system, the binding Labour Court recommendation must be enforced. As I said earlier, I am concerned about the critical illness protocol. While I appreciate...
- Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments)(Amendment) Bill 2013: Instruction to Committee (resumed) (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: That was enlightening.
- Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointment) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: It may be better if we deal with those points first and then I can come back in later.
- Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointment) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: We are dealing with this in committee.
- Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointment) (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (12 Dec 2013)
Mary Lou McDonald: I note Members are on Committee Stage for amendment No. 1. Obviously, the Minister was obliged to change the Title because when the legislation was originally considered, it did not envisage legislating in this way for sick leave in the public service. As the Minister says, it is enabling legislation. To deal with amendment No. 16, I refer to section 58B(4) which in my view is instructive....