Results 6,621-6,640 of 21,404 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Ceisteanna - Questions: Proposed Legislation (20 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: 8. To ask the Taoiseach the status of Bills under preparation in his Department. [8335/18]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Proposed Legislation (20 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: Gabhaim buíochas arís leis an Taoiseach as ucht a fhreagra. As he has confirmed, the legislative programme published in January lists just this one Bill sponsored by him and currently under preparation. As others have said, the purpose of the now omnipresent national economic and social development office (amendment) Bill, which has been listed as part of the Government...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Seanad Reform (20 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: 4. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent address to Seanad Éireann; and his plans for Seanad Reform. [6901/18]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Seanad Reform (20 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: There is a level of public and political cynicism around the whole area of Seanad reform. It must be one of the most talked-about political phenomena of our time, alongside the roll-out of broadband. It is endlessly rehearsed, yet it never happens. I note the Taoiseach's stated intention to the Seanad to establish this committee and for it to have an eight month mandate. The Taoiseach...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (20 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: Bertie.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (20 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: Clearly, the concern is that the strategic communications unit is a propaganda arm-----

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (20 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: -----not of the Government but of the Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, and, indeed, Fine Gael and in terms of their electoral ambitions. The next election will happen whenever those in Fine Gael or their partners in Fianna Fáil deem it most advantageous to go to the people.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (20 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Taoiseach might dismiss that. He might say it is simply a part of modernising and professionalising communications. He might even believe that to be the case. There is an ethical consideration, a public interest consideration and a public purse consideration in the expending of public moneys for these advertising exercises. There are, of course, traditional tried and tested ways to...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (20 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: -----in order to seek the input and the imprimatur of people who are elected to this House. The latter is also supposed to be sought from those in the Seanad. Clearly, the Taoiseach sees matters differently. I imagine that this will be a source of controversy and disquiet across the Dáil. The bottom line is that people believe the Taoiseach is being a bit chancy with all of this and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (20 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: 2. To ask the Taoiseach his plans in respect of staffing levels in his Department for 2018. [6900/18]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Departmental Staff Data (20 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Taoiseach as ucht a fhreagra. My question is about his staffing levels. Can I suggest that, as a first step, he round the 0.1 up to a full post? In a similar response given to a similar question which was tabled last month, the Taoiseach said that staff assigned to the international, EU and Northern division in his Department support the Government's efforts...

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: I was glad to hear that this morning the Minister for Health brought to Cabinet the draft legislation to allow for a referendum to repeal the eighth amendment. This is a very welcome step, and we in Sinn Féin for our part hope this Bill will come before the Dáil at the earliest possible opportunity. In a tweet this morning, the Minister, Deputy Harris, said the referendum Bill...

Order of Business (20 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: -----for whom a June voting date is highly problematic.

Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: It is also essential that holders of distressed mortgages are not put through further distress and perhaps rendered homeless, which would add to the crisis we are facing. The time for the Taoiseach to stand by the people and to make sure that we got the legislation right was in 2015. He is correct to say that the servicers of the mortgages - those companies hired by the vulture funds - are...

Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: Permanent TSB may not yet have sold on any mortgages but we know it is preparing to sell 20,000 of them to vulture funds. Permanent TSB is a State-owned bank and the Minister for Finance is the majority shareholder. Let us not make any bones about it; these vulture funds are prepared to pick the bones of mortgage holders as and when it suits them. Their interest in the acquisition of these...

Leaders' Questions (20 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: The hypocrisy today is odious as Fianna Fáil and the Taoiseach now pretend to champion the very people they helped feed to these vultures three years ago. I have a response to a parliamentary question submitted by Deputy Pearse Doherty which demonstrates that the former Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, and officials from the Department met representatives of vulture funds 60 times...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Ministerial Communications (20 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: 609. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Parliamentary Questions Nos 698, 699 and 700 of 13 January 2018, if following a High Court judgment (details supplied) regarding libel he will revoke his predecessors public statement on 24 April 2013 which includes the same selected excerpt from a report as used by a council. [8635/18]

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): National Development Plan (14 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: 3. To ask the Taoiseach his Department's role in developing the new national development plan. [6899/18]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reports (13 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: 672. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if a report (details supplied) will be removed from his Department's website. [7103/18]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Reports (13 Feb 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: 673. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if, following a High Court judgement (details supplied), he will revoke his predecessor's public statement of 24 April 2013, which included a quoted excerpt from a report. [7104/18]