Results 13,561-13,580 of 21,204 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: -----and justice in the Middle East that the behaviour of Israel in targeting, bombarding and killing Palestinian civilians is repulsive and reprehensible. There is no excuse for it and there is no alibi for it.

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I wish the Tánaiste would take her cue from the Irish people who in recent days have been out in their hundreds and thousands in solidarity with the people of Gaza. They have made their decision. I only wish the Irish Government would share that clarity of thought.

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Really.

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I also extend a warm welcome to members of the deaf community in the Visitors Gallery. They are very welcome and it is great to see an interpreter in the Gallery for the first time. I had intended to raise a different issue with the Tánaiste concerning mother and baby homes but, having heard her entirely limp and lily-livered response to Deputy McConalogue's question on Gaza, I feel I...

Leaders' Questions (17 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I do not question for a second the right or responsibility of Government to give sound advice to Irish citizens. I am, however, questioning the Tánaiste's sense of priority or perspective on this issue. This is the second week in a row that I have raised this matter. On both occasions the Tánaiste's priority message was to Irish citizens. As noble as that may be, I suggest to...

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: That is very wise.

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: We have discussed this matter of exemptions up and down. I too have significant reservations around blanket exemptions. The supposition should be inclusion, bar where it can be demonstrated there are reasons of commercial sensitivity - that old chestnut - or other reasons as set out in the legislation. Organisations should have to bring forward actively reasons under sections 32, 36, 37 or...

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I move amendment No. 69:In page 45, between lines 17 and 18, to insert the following:"28. The body will provide information regarding policy decisions and actions, to include but not exclusive to financial decisions and service delivery which impact on citizens in all instances.".

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Minister is right - all of our views on this matter have been thoroughly aired. The idea that a request would be rejected because the head says it is "frivolous or vexatious, or forms part of a pattern of manifestly unreasonable requests", is open to subjective calls and judgments.

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I appreciate all of that. I do not think it is wise to have this in the legislation. I already cited section 15 which addresses the issue of administrative burden. It is dangerous, however, to make calls like that. I will give a real-life example of it. A number of survivors of the Bethany Home, and one in particular, made numerous FOI requests. I am told they were dismissed by the...

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I move amendment No. 51:In page 30, to delete lines 13 to 16.

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Yes.

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Minister did not respond to my question, although I know in any event what would be his response. I draw his attention to section 15, which allows a head to refuse to grant a freedom of information request on administrative grounds. Among other factors, an administrative refusal may be made where "in the opinion of the head, granting the request would, by reason of the number or nature...

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I will also be brief and will cut to the chase as Members discussed this issue at length on Committee Stage. I am opposed to the charging of any fees in respect of freedom of information, FOI, requests. On Committee Stage, it was established that the charging of fees is not about cost recovery and the report the Minister compiled, which I acknowledge, makes that point again. The Minister...

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (16 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I am not questioning the Minister's commitment to open data and to the routine sharing of data sets. I agree wholeheartedly that is a necessary and exciting innovation.

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (16 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: That said, and following on from some of the contributions from Deputy Sean Fleming, we all recognise that there is a cultural resistance to varying degrees around the sharing of information. To address that aspect the Minister indicated where data is to be freely shared. This should at some point, at least in theory, render FOI legislation, if not redundant, certainly less critical in the...

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (16 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I move amendment No. 13:In page 12, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following:" "Minister’s FOI Data Manager" means the person appointed by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform within his or her Department responsible for collating and publishing all FOI related data;".We have discussed this proposal previously. This amendment refers to "his or her Department". When I...

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (16 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: It is a note to self. The notion underpinning this amendment is that there should be some coherence in the collation of data about freedom of information requests that are granted, refused or delivered on. We discussed this proposal on Committee Stage. This amendment seeks to provide for such coherence and define in legislation how it can be achieved.

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (16 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I welcome the Minister’s amendment.

Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Report Stage (16 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I move amendment No. 9:In page 10, line 35, to delete “21 April 2008” and substitute “1 January 2007”.This concerns the date applied to an entity not considered as a public body within the meaning of the 1997 Act but which will be considered as a public body under the new legislation. The Minister indicated previously that his choice of 21 April 2008 was random,...