Results 13,881-13,900 of 21,498 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Does IBEC also support welfare cuts?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: IBEC is not waiting to see straight cuts to welfare payments in the budget.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Would IBEC be upset if that happened?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I am not asking Ms Burke personally but what is IBEC's general disposition to a proposition like that, namely, that welfare rates should be cut? Would that be good or bad?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Does Ms Burke also accept that, in line with IBEC's overall orientation around economic buoyancy, consumer demand and customer confidence, people on fixed incomes, that is, social welfare recipients, are part of that equation too and that to cut those very basic fixed payments has a deflationary effect and affects consumer confidence and demand?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Can I just say to Ms Burke - I say this in a spirit of having the debate because I also read the foreword by the IBEC CEO, Mr. Danny McCoy - that if, for argument's sake, Mr. McCoy and I happened to be on a panel debating the budget, as one does, and if I or anybody else was to produce figures which suggested all sorts of interesting things but which had a hole in them of the magnitude of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Would Ms Burke accept that point? Can I ask another question which relates to some of IBEC's expenditure priorities? Ms Burke highlighted the issue of social housing in which I was interested.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Has IBEC had conversations with the Government on the issue of social housing and this form of stimulus?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I understand the point around keeping these matter off-balance sheet but, as Ms Burke knows, the experience of public private partnerships for the provision of social housing has not been a good one for many people, not least in this city.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Has IBEC looked at experiences in other European jurisdictions - for instance, in Britain?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: In terms of public private partnerships.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: It may interest Ms Burke to know that they discovered they were inefficient and expensive. The experience here, in terms of many large regeneration projects, was that they were utterly unreliable and that because of that particular funding model, a lot of people in dire need of social housing were left in the lurch.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: We can debate that at a later stage. Does IBEC have an issue, in principle, around direct funding from the Exchequer for the provision of social housing? Has it considered that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: As I said, Ms Burke's submission was very interesting and bar the €385 million hole, it was very useful. Could I ask each of the contributors about equality budgeting? It is something we asked Government to consider. It has considered it and said "No". The notion is that one measures the impacts of decisions taken on the taxation and spending sides on key demographics. Very...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I was looking at Mr. Cribben's submission and the concept of whiskey tours is very interesting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I do not have to go outside my constituency to avail of one of these tours. The conversation so far has been on the taxation equation. Ms Burke makes the case for money in people’s pockets. All of that makes plain common sense. Will Ms Burke talk us through where IBEC sees current expenditure adjustments to be made?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: We will come to that later. Will Ms Burke take me through the expenditure cuts?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Concert Licensing: Dublin City Council (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: According to Mr. Keegan's script, Dublin City Council brought 11 instances to the attention of the Garda. Given the lack of a robust procedure to follow up on such submissions, not to seek fees from people, but to ensure their validity, Mr. Keogan cannot, with any level of confidence, stand over taking the decision he took on the basis of the submissions. That is my strong view, and I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Concert Licensing: Dublin City Council (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Mr. Keegan would have been concerned that he would have been seen as selling out. Mr. Keegan was aware that Mr. Kieran Mulvey was involved in a very detailed process of mediation between all parties regarding Croke Park. The relationship with the residents clearly animates Mr. Keegan. Dublin City Council participated in discussions with Mr. Mulvey. Mr. Keegan is aware that Mr. Mulvey...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Concert Licensing: Dublin City Council (15 Jul 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Had Mr. Keogan read the report before he made his decision?