Results 4,541-4,560 of 21,131 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: I seek clarity on that point. The Tánaiste having, in addition to his departmental advisers, five or six additional advisers in order that he can fulfil his duties as Tánaiste strikes me as absolutely extraordinary. For the leader of the Green Party to have four or five additional advisers, as the Taoiseach said, is similarly extraordinary. Nobody is against bringing expertise to...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Regeneration Projects (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: I welcome that the Taoiseach is open to a review. I am keen to acknowledge the substantial amount of work done by the board and I commend those involved on it. Nevertheless, this review has to be about the community. It has to be about the people who live in the kind of atrocious housing conditions that the Taoiseach has himself witnessed. Should the Taoiseach go into any of these blocks...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Regeneration Projects (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Greek Street flats are in the north-west inner city. They are not captured by the catchment area. I am not saying this to catch out the Taoiseach at all. I am simply raising it to reiterate the point about the catchment area for the north-east and north-west inner city. A line was arbitrarily drawn. I hope that as part of the review which I hope will be commissioned, those...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: 2. To ask the Taoiseach to set out the number of staff in the policy and programme implementation unit of his Department. [15759/20]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: I applaud the Taoiseach's commitment to coherence and openness across the Government. However, I would caution that too many cooks can spoil the broth, as they say. It strikes me that this is a most irregular arrangement. Not alone will the Tánaiste have an office within the Department of An Taoiseach, but we will now have an office of the leader of the Green Party within the...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Regeneration Projects (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: 1. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the role of his Department in the north east inner city initiative. [15758/20]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Regeneration Projects (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: In addition to everything the Taoiseach has recalled regarding the setting up of this inner city initiative, it should also be recalled that the north-east inner city was caught in the grip of what was referred to as a "gangland feud" at the time. He will recall that lives had been lost, the community, including children, was traumatised by the incidents they had been witnessed and at the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: When I raised with the Taoiseach last week the need to extend maternity leave and benefit by 12 weeks for mothers and parents affected by the Covid-19 crisis, he said the matter was complicated and complex but that the Government would do the right thing. Yesterday, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs announced a three-week extension to parental leave to be brought in next year under...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: That is the worst type of evasion. As Head of Government, I appeal to the Taoiseach to do the right thing for the sake of the integrity of the Dáil. There is no conceivable reason that the Minister could not present himself to make a full and complete statement and to take questions from Deputies. It is entirely unacceptable to dance on the head of a pin in the way in which the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: It is not agreed. The Taoiseach knew that the statement the Minister, Deputy Cowen, made to the Dáil was incomplete. Astonishingly, he has attempted to justify the Minister's lack of candour before the House. It is now very clear that the Minister, Deputy Cowen, needs to come before the Dáil to make a statement and to take questions. A senior Cabinet Minister challenging the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: Then publish it.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: Then the Taoiseach should have the Minister publish it.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: It is becoming clear that the Minister, Deputy Cowen, will have to come before the House and take questions on all of these issues. However, for the purposes of today's discussion, I am more concerned with what the Taoiseach, as Head of Government, knew. He has confirmed that he did, in fact, know about the Garda PULSE record and that there was an allegation that the Minister had sought to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: I have been reluctant to raise the matter of the Minister, Deputy Cowen, on Leaders' Questions before today. I absolutely accept that everybody makes mistakes, that people learn from those mistakes and that they move on. We wanted to give the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine every opportunity to address all of the matters concerned, to draw a line under them and to move on at a...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Covid-19 Pandemic (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: 75. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation when live music in venues will recommence; the guidelines that will apply to musicians and venues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15240/20]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: 655. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the guidelines for schools on their use of reduced hours for individual pupils will be completed; and if she plans to put in place a reporting and effective monitoring mechanism within the guidelines to ensure appropriate and limited use of reduced hours in schools and the necessary oversight at departmental level. [15725/20]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: 757. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons due arrears of the pandemic unemployment payment; when these arrears payments will be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15426/20]

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Functions (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: 857. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs which Department will have responsibility for youth affairs. [15724/20]

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Functions (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: 873. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the revised organisational chart for his Department will be provided. [15720/20]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (14 Jul 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: 1282. To ask the Minister for Health if a participative consultation process will be undertaken with those most likely to be impacted by the guidance of his Department on prioritisation in access to critical care in the context of Covid-19, which explicitly engages human rights and equality expertise as recommended by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. [15923/20]