Results 13,321-13,340 of 21,498 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Palestine: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I wish to acknowledge the presence of the Palestinian ambassador. Cuirim fáilte romhat. I welcome the Government decision to support this motion. Yesterday the Opposition had occasion to catalogue the Government's faults and failings but the non-partisan position that has been adopted on this issue provides an instance of contrast. In this case, the Government appears to have...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Funding (10 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: 163. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 344 of 1 April 2014, if he will provide an update on discussions between his Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform regarding enhanced redundancy payments in the community and voluntary sector; and if there are proposals for legislation or new regulations to...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I wish to check whether I heard correctly that under Standing Orders, the consideration of this matter is completed regardless of whether members regard it as completed.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: That is not my understanding of the Standing Orders. Does the Chairman need to read out the note again?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: That is what I am trying to establish, namely, the consideration. Wound the Chairman mind reading it again?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Perhaps for future reference, when the Minister comes before a committee seeking additional moneys, having that information with him in tabular form as a matter of course would avoid all of this.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: That is also worthy of consideration but in fairness, when additional moneys are being sought for specified additional expenditure, it is not too outlandish for members on this side of the conversation to note that 1,100 people are going into retirement and to ask what grades they are, what are the pension bands, the gratuities and so on. I would have thought that was fairly rudimentary.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: The last time members debated these matters, it was precisely that terrain over which they walked with the then Minister of State, Brian Hayes. Consequently, this should not have come as any great surprise to the Minister.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Are we not moving onto the Public Appointments Service, PAS?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: There is a figure of €230,000 here, and the Minister is saying PAS anticipates it will process circa 90,000 applications. Will the Minister talk us through that? The figure strikes me as remarkably high.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Does the Minister know what are those other panels?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: How many clerical positions are there?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: The panel has been opened.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: How many Garda recruits are envisaged?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: That is 300.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: There was 24,000 applications.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: It is astonishing, is it not?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Pent up demand.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: We will remember that figure when we discuss gardaí on the beat and the needs of communities. I have a final question. What is the €230,000 for? Is it for psychometric testing?

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Supplementary)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Supplementary) (9 Dec 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Who does that?