Results 20,401-20,420 of 21,499 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Private Members' Business: An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Fiche ar an mBunreacht (Uimh. 2) 2011: An Dara Céim, Twenty-Ninth Amendment of the Constitution (No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (18 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: Fianna Fáil and the former Minister, Deputy Martin, clearly feel the need to purge themselves of the past and that is understandable. At least they now accept they have a past of which they might purge themselves. The fact that since the foundation of the State, Fianna Fáil has been in government for more than 60 years cannot go unmentioned.

Private Members' Business: An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Fiche ar an mBunreacht (Uimh. 2) 2011: An Dara Céim, Twenty-Ninth Amendment of the Constitution (No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (18 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Leas-Cheann Comhairle's colleagues need to let me speak.

Private Members' Business: An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Fiche ar an mBunreacht (Uimh. 2) 2011: An Dara Céim, Twenty-Ninth Amendment of the Constitution (No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (18 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: Deputy Martin spoke about the need to change perception that big business can buy influence by financially supporting the election funds of parties or candidates, which is correct, but Fianna Fáil created this monster and not just over the past 14 years when it was in government but as far back as the days of Lemass. Fianna Fáil State board appointees were party people. That was an open...

Private Members' Business: An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Fiche ar an mBunreacht (Uimh. 2) 2011: An Dara Céim, Twenty-Ninth Amendment of the Constitution (No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (18 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: It is an indictment of cronyism and not of teachers and I stand over it.

Private Members' Business: An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Fiche ar an mBunreacht (Uimh. 2) 2011: An Dara Céim, Twenty-Ninth Amendment of the Constitution (No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (18 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: Plum jobs in commercial semi-States were kept for "its own" and it was all about who one knew and not what one knew. The lads in the mohair suits introduced money into the equation and Taca was born and the people of this State are still paying the price.

Private Members' Business: An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Fiche ar an mBunreacht (Uimh. 2) 2011: An Dara Céim, Twenty-Ninth Amendment of the Constitution (No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (18 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: The inflated price of land and corrupting relationship Fianna Fáil fostered with developers started way back in the early days of Taca. This, of course, has been well documented. Taca may have been shut down in the 1970s but lessons had been learned. Dublin's beautiful and historic architecture was torn asunder for a quick buck.

Private Members' Business: An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Fiche ar an mBunreacht (Uimh. 2) 2011: An Dara Céim, Twenty-Ninth Amendment of the Constitution (No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (18 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: Over the years land continued to get more expensive and a small number of developers grew in size and capacity. Huge amounts of EU Structural Funds landed in the coffers for massive road building projects and the like and gradually the golden circle was completed. Colleagues on the Fianna Fáil benches will not simply eradicate more than 60 years of sponsored cronyism with a single Bill no...

Private Members' Business: An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Fiche ar an mBunreacht (Uimh. 2) 2011: An Dara Céim, Twenty-Ninth Amendment of the Constitution (No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (18 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: Perhaps that was because to have introduced this kind of radical change would have been to completely alter the DNA of successive Fianna Fáil leaderships. Government policy was designed to help developers and speculators to make huge profits for which ordinary taxpayers are now paying. A bank without any systemic importance to the State was bailed out because of connections between those...

Expenditure Reviews (17 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: Question 2: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the impact he believes the Budget 2012 expenditure cuts of €2.2 billion will have on the vulnerable, low and middle income families; and the policy measures he will put in place to minimise hardship on citizens. [35356/11]

Expenditure Reviews (17 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: I apologise for my late arrival.

Expenditure Reviews (17 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: Tá brón orm. I got caught up in the finance committee. It was all fascinating, so I am sorry about that. I would like to ask about the impact of the expenditure cuts on lower and middle income families. I know the Minister is going to publish the comprehensive spending review. I understand that it is a very detailed document. I wonder about an impact assessment for those on fixed...

Expenditure Reviews (17 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: It has dispensed with that. The argument was about expenditure cuts or taxation measures. The evidence is not that measures on the expenditure side are most effective. The Minister might dust down that analysis. What way does he propose to protect low and middle income families? What kind of an impact assessment has his Department carried out?

Sale of State Assets (17 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: Question 5: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will reconsider the Programme for Government commitment to sell off commercial State assets taking into consideration that neither the IMF nor the EU have demanded the budgetary measure nor does the Memorandum of Understanding explicitly call for the privatisation of State assets. [35357/11]

Sale of State Assets (17 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: That is a great pity. We have debated this matter before and I believe the Minister is making a great mistake and that his thinking is short term. Should the Government proceed in these matters it will amount to a fire sale of valuable strategic assets. I am consistently baffled that the Minister describes the disposal of a 10% share of the ESB as playing with a non-strategic asset. The...

Departmental Agencies (17 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: I thank the Minister for confirming in the previous answer that the decision on the ESB, whatever the percentage, was that of the Government alone and not the troika. I have read the Minister's report. Is the Minister seeking to introduce a cutback in terms of fees for board members for these State agencies?

Departmental Agencies (17 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: Yes. The Minister makes a general argument about increased efficiencies and cost savings but he has not detailed these anywhere. I refer, for instance, to one of the decisions made, that is, the case of the Ombudsman for Children. I wonder at the wisdom of this given how central, sensitive and successful the office has been. Is it wise to amalgamate even back office functions with another...

Departmental Agencies (17 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: I agree with the Minister's last points. Did he consult with the Ombudsman for children in respect of the amalgamation?

Departmental Agencies (17 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: Did the Department?

Departmental Agencies (17 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: Only limited consultation with the actual agencies took place.

Departmental Agencies (17 Nov 2011)

Mary Lou McDonald: Does the Minister not think that is a flaw? The Minister is standing over this report. He has provided a list of amalgamations and so on. No rationale is provided in the report. I am concerned that the Minister does not have, in his headed paper, an analysis and confirmation that a minimum of consultation happened with the agencies in question. I am surprised he would stand over the report...