Results 14,301-14,320 of 21,499 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (12 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: I am sure these people have busy schedules, as do we, but it is a full week's notice. It is a matter of some public commentary and a matter of grave concern.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (12 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: Thursday afternoon is good.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (12 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: Will we deal with it now?
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (12 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: I agree. In whatever we say to the Minister, can we make it clear that we are not simply writing to draw the matter to his attention but that, without interfering in the business of other bodies as they go about adjudicating on these matters, we need some oversight or surveillance in order that the individual in question will not be in a position where things will become increasingly worse...
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (12 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: It seems to be correspondence sent by a very distressed individual.
- Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (12 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: Perfect.
- Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: I join with the Taoiseach and all of the House in our expressions of sympathy to and solidarity with the families and loved ones of Clare O'Neill, Michael Pyke and Fintan Goss. I also recognise the enormous efforts of our emergency services, our first responders, those organisations that deal with the homeless, ESB crews, public transport teams, people working in the health services and...
- Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: It has now tabled a Dáil motion, which I welcome and which sets out to achieve the very thing it opposed last December.
- Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: Therefore, there is more brass on the necks of the Fianna Fáil leadership that one would expect in a marching band. Can we welcome Fianna Fáil to the corner of these women, no matter how late, cynical or self-serving its arrival might be? Here is the rub: the Taoiseach will lose the vote on the motion tomorrow night as I believe the Dáil will vote in support of the women....
- Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: I fully accept that pensioner poverty is an issue that affects men as well as women, but it is also a fact that the changes made in 2012 disproportionately affect women. That is why it is an issue of such concern for organisations such as the Irish Countrywomen's Association. As complex as pensions are and the rules and regulations concerning them, it is not complicated to understand that a...
- Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: I thought the Taoiseach read our pre-budget submission.
- Leaders' Questions (17 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: That is a separate issue.
- Order of Business (17 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: I want to return to the national mitigation plan, which was published in July by the Minister, Deputy Naughten. The Taoiseach said that the consultation on the national adaptation framework will conclude on 27 October. Will the framework and the proposals be available by 10 December, which I understand is the target date? Is the Taoiseach on track for that? Thereafter, how long will it...
- Order of Business (17 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: It is in our prebudget speech.
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (17 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: On the Cabinet sub-committees, does the Taoiseach believe it is wise or appropriate for Brexit to be put alongside European issues? I understood that international affairs also featured in that sub-committee. Will the Taoiseach clarify this point? Brexit issues require a singular focus and effort. When we last spoke on these on 3 October, the Taoiseach told us that the previous...
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (17 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: I do not think that is helpful or appropriate.
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (17 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: It is the job of the Taoiseach to protect the interests of the country and the island as a whole and it is absolutely and resolutely squarely in the region of having no border. The Taoiseach might answer my question about the sub-committee and my proposition to him that he has a Brexit sub-committee that is in session and meeting all the time, not monthly.
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (17 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: I do not believe an M50-type solution to the Border is a serious proposition at all and I do not believe it demonstrates any kind of political nous or understanding of the job that needs to be done. It is a very significant challenge to ensure that not only the economic life of the island but also the political life and the Good Friday Agreement infrastructure are not completely undermined....
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (17 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: Although the Revenue Commissioners carried out the exercise, I do not believe the exercise was necessary to put what I describe up in lights. The Taoiseach gave the reasons the Cabinet sub-committee is not meeting as regularly as would be optimal. Given this, he needs to ask himself the purpose of the sub-committee and the effectiveness of its work. May I ask the Taoiseach about the...
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Seanad Reform (17 Oct 2017)
Mary Lou McDonald: The abolition of the Seanad is a well-trodden path which then turned into the reform of Seanad but none of the above has happened. I do not detect any great political appetite or urgency for dealing with the issue. My questions, much like the previous speaker, are around when all of this will be actioned and who will chair the implementation group. There have been 12 separate reports...