Results 12,641-12,660 of 21,203 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
IDA Ireland - Financial Statement 2013
Enterprise Ireland - Financial Statement 2013 (12 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: When Mr. Shanahan says the cost base came down very significantly and talks about demand for human resources, I presume he means that wages came down significantly in that period. Is that what he is saying?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
IDA Ireland - Financial Statement 2013
Enterprise Ireland - Financial Statement 2013 (12 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: In other words, Mr. Shanahan would not be marketing this jurisdiction as a low wage economy. He would not regard that as one of the pull factors.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
IDA Ireland - Financial Statement 2013
Enterprise Ireland - Financial Statement 2013 (12 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: Mr. Shanahan probably knows that some recent Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, data revealed that this jurisdiction, just after the United States of America, had the highest level of low-paid employment. If the minimum wage were to increase would it make Mr. Shanahan's job more difficult in getting inward investment? In every budgetary cycle when people put...

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
IDA Ireland - Financial Statement 2013
Enterprise Ireland - Financial Statement 2013 (12 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: What about the North and the all-Ireland question?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
IDA Ireland - Financial Statement 2013
Enterprise Ireland - Financial Statement 2013 (12 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: Will that form part of the IDA’s thinking when it puts together its new FDI strategy?

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
IDA Ireland - Financial Statement 2013
Enterprise Ireland - Financial Statement 2013 (12 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: I can tell that by Ms Sinnamon’s accent.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
IDA Ireland - Financial Statement 2013
Enterprise Ireland - Financial Statement 2013 (12 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: Could I have a comment from both CEOs on corporate tax? They know there is now the possibility of the corporate tax rate north of the Border ratcheting down and perhaps to harmonise with the level in the South. Does either witness have a view as to whether that is a good idea or a bad idea? Would there positive spin-offs? I am picking the witnesses' brains.

Public Accounts Committee: 2013 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
IDA Ireland - Financial Statement 2013
Enterprise Ireland - Financial Statement 2013 (12 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: Of course they do, and that is precisely my point. My view as a republican, as the witnesses will not be surprised to hear, is that the relationships ought to be collaborative and harmonised rather than competitive. It is nuts to have IDA Ireland and Invest NI out state-side or anywhere else competing for the same business. I know that is just the reality of how things may happen now, but...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: I have a number of questions. I wish to raise with the Minister of State the issue of flooding. There is an ongoing issue that many householders have in respect of getting insurance for their homes. I know that the predecessor of the Minister of State, Brian Hayes, had entered into discussions with the insurance industry. Will the Minister of State bring us up to date on the position? ...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: It is in a state of dereliction. There has been ongoing toing and froing between Dublin City Council, the Department and the developer. The thing is a fiasco, quite frankly. With a little over a year to go to the moment of commemoration, it is quite disgraceful that it has come to this pass. I realise the Minister of State may be limited in the nature of his commentary overall. However,...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: Thank goodness for that. My faith in the Minister of State remains steadfast. I note there has been an increase in spending on Government publications under subhead B12. I gather it is in the region of one third, if I am not mistaken. This is substantial. I had assumed that e-publishing would yield cost savings, with an eye on the environment and efficiency. Will the Minister of State...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: I would like to make a comment for the record in respect of the unitary payments ongoing to the convention centre in Dublin. I appreciate the Minister of State's point that his Administration inherited this but it is a colossal drain in terms of public moneys and has been critiqued by the Comptroller and Auditor General. I appreciate he is bound by the contractual arrangement but wish to...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Minister's documentation echoes the objective of controlling public service pay and sticking with the financial emergency measures in the public interest, FEMPI. Given that the Minister has set out his stall, that he intends to carry out what he described this morning as a scoping exercise with the public sector unions, I presume he envisages a deal in time for the budget. He is...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: Correct.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: I thank the Minister very much for this. I am conscious of time. In April the Minister will commence the scoping exercise with a view to having something on paper, if not balloted, by September. He used very particular language with regard to rolling back, phasing out or scaling down FEMPI but in his opening statement he made it clear that public service pay rates will continue to be...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: I am aware of the year we are in, thank you Minister. When we spoke this morning in the Chamber, the Minister envisaged a scenario where there might be a pay claim in advance of the April meeting. The Government has created an expectation that there will be some move on pay in 2015 with all of its talk about recovery, the Minister's rhetoric around opening discussions with the public sector...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Minister has also extended the pension deadline for public service workers. Am I right in saying this is the third deadline? The original one was August 2014, which was then extended to June 2015. The Minister has now extended that further out to June 2016. What was the rationale for that?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: Is it coincidental that 2016 is possibly the election year?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: If a deadline keeps getting moved back like that, it renders it null and void. I have raised with the Minister before the statute law revision programme in subhead B9. This has been going on since 2002. I understand the Minister can confirm for the committee that he has used JobBridge interns to carry out some of this work, if not all of it. He might just refresh my memory on that. He...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised) (11 Feb 2015)

Mary Lou McDonald: I am deeply relieved.