Results 8,421-8,440 of 21,498 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functions: Office of Government Procurement (21 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: Will the Chairman confirm that the questions Mr. Quinn did not have time to answer will be answered?

Leaders' Questions (22 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: Secondary school teachers throughout the State have today embarked on their second day of strike action on the issue of junior cycle reform with the prospect of a third day of industrial action looming large. I am sure the Tánaiste will agree that this causes huge disruption for families, students and teachers. She will also appreciate that the mock leaving and junior certificate...

Leaders' Questions (22 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: I am interested to hear the Tánaiste's exposition to teachers and me, presumably as a parent, on what is best for our precious children.

Leaders' Questions (22 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Tánaiste is making a false argument and, perhaps unsurprisingly, addressing the wrong issue. There is no dissent on the need for reform, continuous assessment and creativity, participation and so on among all children at primary, second and third level. The issue concerns marking, grading and accreditation. Teachers are saying - many parents and students agree with them - that in...

Order of Business (22 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: I welcome the fact that the Tánaiste is open to assigning Dáil time to a debate on the findings of the report. It would be a very useful discussion to have. Try as she might to soften their edges, the findings are shocking, particularly in regard to child poverty and poverty in families headed by single parents. There is probably nothing very new in those findings but they are...

Order of Business (22 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: Hear, hear.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Illness Benefit Applications (22 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: 43. To ask the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in Dublin 7 can expect a decision on their claim for illness benefit. [3088/15]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Property Tax Data (27 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: 195. To ask the Minister for Finance the reason the Revenue Commissioners reports a 95% compliance rate for payment of the property tax for the year 2014, in view of the fact that the Revenue Commissioners collect payment from source. [3411/15]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Property Tax Data (27 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: 196. To ask the Minister for Finance if some residential properties are exempt from payment of the property tax; and if so, the types of properties. [3412/15]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of Public Works Projects (27 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: 226. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the expected eventual cost of the fence which is to be erected by the Office of Public Works around the Castletown Demesne, Celbridge, County Kildare. [3525/15]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of Public Works Projects (27 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: 227. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the amount of funding his Department and or the Office of Public Works has allocated for a court case regarding the right of way at Castletown Demesne, Celbridge, County Kildare to be taken by an organisation (details supplied); and the specific purposes or beneficiaries of such funds. [3526/15]

Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Bill 2014: Second Stage (28 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Minister prefaced her description of the legislation by providing an account of how, in her eyes, the issue of the Magdalen laundries has been dealt with by the State and how it and the Government treated the victims and survivors. I take this opportunity to acknowledge that those survivors enjoyed a level of public recognition in respect of the experiences that they underwent, many of...

Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation: Motion (Resumed) (28 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: I acknowledge all of those women, children and men who are survivors, advocates and campaigners, some of whom are with us in the Visitors Gallery, most of whom are not. They have brought us to this point and at long last the Government has finally agreed to establish an independent commission of investigation into mother and baby homes. It is welcome that the commission will have the remit...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2015-2017: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (28 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: I can await a summary response.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2015-2017: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (28 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: To refer to the Minister's last point, whether to debate the issue or not is for a different forum. To make a general point, the process of reforming the budgetary analysis, projections and so forth is very welcome. It is the way to do business. At the risk of shocking the Minister, I believe this is the right approach. However, ultimately its value is only reflected in its accuracy and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2015-2017: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (28 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: This approach is obviously at the heart of producing ceilings and the analysis we have in front of us. Let us talk about health, at page 77, if we could. Deputy Sean Fleming and the Minister, Deputy Howlin, have already had the conversation about the Supplementary Estimate. The Minister himself has set out the €647 million over and above what had been envisaged was required. This...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2015-2017: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (28 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: I do not wish to be rude to the Minister but I am conscious that we are very constrained in time. With all due respect, I asked a specific question around the health----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2015-2017: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (28 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: While I appreciate that the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, carries the can for health in the first instance, the Minister, Deputy Howlin, is presenting this document to us. I am accepting the figures from him and his officials in good faith. The document is not worth the paper it is written on unless it is based on the premise that these are the ceilings as calculated, and that they...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2015-2017: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (28 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: Could the Minister remind us what the spend in health was last year? What was the ceiling for 2014?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2015-2017: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (28 Jan 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: Is that the overall annual spend?