Results 12,981-13,000 of 21,203 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Written Answers — Department of Health: Services for People with Disabilities (17 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: 153. To ask the Minister for Health the reason the parent of a child (details supplied) in Dublin 22 has not yet received a reply from the Clondalkin mental health service to a request for a full assessment, despite the fact that said request was submitted in July 2014. [48510/14]

Other Questions: Estimates Process (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Minister for Health was not short about being able to predict accurately and speedily that the moneys allocated in October would fall well short of what will be required in the system. I am concerned about the new rules that will apply from 2016. In response to an earlier question, the Minister said he and the Government will regard the expenditure benchmark as binding on the State, as...

Other Questions: Estimates Process (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I am glad the Minister has discussed this with the OECD. No matter who the Minister discussed it with, he or she would not have to be an expert in economics or health management to tell him the effect underfunding has had within the health system. In my view, the allocation of these moneys to health are an explicit recognition that the figures the Minister delivered here in October fell...

Other Questions: Estimates Process (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: We talked earlier about the expenditure benchmark under the six-pack and European semester. How will Supplementary Estimates fall once this new regime is introduced, from 2016 onwards? What will be the effect of that expenditure break on any Supplementary Estimates?

Other Questions: Estimates Process (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: 94. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on the additional €1.1 billion in supplementary allocations sought from him by the various Departments for 2015. [47796/14]

Other Questions: Estimates Process (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: My question refers to the supplementary allocations sought by various Departments for 2015. A figure of some €1.2 billion has already been noted, the largest Supplementary Estimate in the history of the State. I appreciate that, since filing this question, time has been set aside tomorrow for a debate on the Appropriation Bill and that we will at least have some discussion in that...

Other Questions: Office of the Ombudsman Status (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Minister would have heard the Ombudsman note in the same speech the fact that some companies — he instanced Irish Water — provide services that were once under his remit but no longer are. He cited all the networked services, including the post, electricity, gas, public transport and telecommunications services. He raised this as a really serious issue concerning public...

Other Questions: Office of the Ombudsman Status (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: 91. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to set out his views on a proposal to constitutionalise the position of the Ombudsman made at a conference hosted by the Institute of Public Administration on 7 November 2014 which the Ombudsman attended and addressed. [47798/14]

Other Questions: Office of the Ombudsman Status (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: My question refers to the position of the Ombudsman. As the Minister is aware, the Ombudsman had cause to make public comment recently in respect of Áras Attracta and more generally in respect of investigations into complaints in the relevant sector. He highlighted what seems to have been a lack of information flow from HIQA and the HSE to his office, thus preventing legitimate...

Other Questions: Office of the Ombudsman Status (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I absolutely appreciate and agree with that. I note in the Minister's list of proposed amendments he did not mention the extension of the right to vote in the presidential election to citizens outside the jurisdiction.

Other Questions: Office of the Ombudsman Status (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I am relieved to hear that it is on the list. I am not raising this with the Minister with an eye to asking him to fast-track it as the most important constitutional reform, but I believe it merits serious consideration, because the Office of the Ombudsman is essential from the citizens' point of view in terms of ensuring quality of service delivery, and, in some cases, periods of service...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Corruption Perception Index (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I accept that the data to which we refer is difficult to collect because corruption is illicit and illegal and, thus, does not facilitate data collection. I also accept the Minister's points on ethics legislation, but I want to focus on the public procurement process. The new rules define conflicts of interest in a way that requires member states to prevent, detect and redress such...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Corruption Perception Index (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Specifically, what will be added to the regime in this State to stamp out corruption?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Corruption Perception Index (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I am sure the Minister agrees when I say it is of the utmost importance that the public has full confidence in the public procurement process. People must know that contracts are awarded on the basis of merit, efficiency, cost and other social considerations, but this is not the case at the moment. Transparency International is a very credible organisation that has raised real concerns on...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Corruption Perception Index (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: 89. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on the statement of caution by Transparency International Ireland that, despite the recent improvement in the State’s ranking in the 2014 corruption perception index 2014 published on 3 December 2014, there are still significant corruption risks to be addressed, including in public procurement. [47950/14]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Corruption Perception Index (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Question No. 89 refers to the country’s recent improvement in the corruption perception index score of 74 out of 100, tied for 17th place with the United States of America, Barbados and Hong Kong. Those putting together this data sounded a particular note of caution and warned against complacency, identifying in particular the area of public procurement as one that was rich with...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Fiscal Compact Treaty (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Clearly, prudence is a desirable virtue when dealing with public expenditure. I agree with the Minister that the trick is to invest sufficiently and to kick-start growth so that we move from a vicious cycle of austerity to a virtuous cycle of investment and return, socially and for the Exchequer in terms of tax returns. The Minister said a conversation was ongoing between the Department of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Fiscal Compact Treaty (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: 86. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the implications for public spending of the expenditure benchmark that will apply as of 2016, as introduced by the six-pack European Semester provision, and incorporated into the fiscal stability treaty in 2012. [47949/14]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Fiscal Compact Treaty (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: My question relates to the expenditure benchmark that will apply from 2016, as introduced by the six-pack European semester provision. Will the Minister explain in layman's or laywoman's terms what he understands the implication of that benchmark to be for government spending beyond 2016? Does he accept that the restrictions it will impose will render it impossible to spend sufficiently to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Fiscal Compact Treaty (16 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Minister's response echoes a response that my colleague, Deputy Pearse Doherty, received from the Minister's twin Minister, Deputy Noonan, in which he stated that decisions on allocations from 2016 onwards must not only have due regard for the level of expenditure required to ensure effective delivery of key public services but also the fiscal parameters set out under the preventative arm...