Results 14,101-14,120 of 21,499 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Leaders' Questions (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: No, it is about one or the other.

Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: I wish to mention the consolidated domestic violence legislation which I have raised consistently in the House. This Government and the previous one made repeated commitments to bring forward such legislation. Can the Tánaiste give us a specific date for when the heads of Bill for the criminal justice (Istanbul Convention) Bill will be ready for pre-legislative scrutiny?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: That is probably not a bad suggestion depending on how long it will take. We do not want to be caught up in a prolonged exchange between our legal people and their legal people. Whatever about redacting on the basis of protecting an individual's identity, they have also redacted to take from our view the names of servers, providers and larger corporate entities. That is the bit that...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: What is that all about?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: No, that is not involved.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: We need to clarify the position.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: The agreement was for the ownership of the property, not the enjoyment of it. That is a different thing.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: How long is "shortly"?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: That is why we wrote the letter in the first instance.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: I agree that, in general, we are fobbed off with holding letters in any event. We need to do something about that, but the terrible thing regarding this situation is that it is a small number of people who were short-changed and left high and dry by an agency funded by the HSE and the State. Wherever the legal responsibility does or does not reside, I am of the view that the Minister, as a...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: Absolutely.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: That is absolutely correct.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: I raised this matter with the then assistant commissioner now acting Commissioner in July. On that occasion, we were informed there would be no problem providing the committee with the report. To be clear, we are seeking the data, facts, figures and rationale used when making a decision as to which Garda stations should be reopened. We are entitled to that information and there is no...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: Following on from that, I suggest that we write to the acting commissioner, tell him we want him to come to the committee at the earliest opportunity, next week if possible, bringing with him an account of the methodology applied in making this decision, and set out that we want to have an exchange with him on the matter. This is a patent exercise in evasion which is very disappointing after...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: I wonder about the wisdom of that for the committee. I want him to come here and set it out. If the methodology is robust and this is how they went about their work, that is great. However, we have to have surveillance of that and he needs to understand from day one and page one of taking on his duties that he is not going to mislead or fob off this committee. We have been through that...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: We want to see their analysis, data and criteria.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: It is the background data that we are after, which is in the possession of An Garda Síochána, not the Department of Justice and Equality. The Garda has that, and we want to see it.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: Exactly. That is how it looks.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: I agree with the course of action. Is there merit in us making contact with the commission of inquiry and asking whether it has requested the report and placed restrictions on circulating it to this committee? I entirely agree other Deputies that what we have heard today is a diversionary tactic. I also agree that we need to find ways to corroborate information that is given to us. I am...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (21 Sep 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: I am not making even a-----