Results 14,001-14,020 of 21,206 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Report Stage (12 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: It would be a little farcical and render the legislation null and void if provisions within it were to set out to paralyse the recipient of a disclosure. We all recognise this. That is not what my amendments are intended to do. This is not only about the investigation of an allegation or complaint but also about the revelation of the identity, or the protection of the identity, of the...

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Report Stage (12 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I am satisfied that as stated by the Minister this is the correct balance to strike. However, in the context of public exposition of this legislation in terms of official publications and so on it is important for workers that the appropriate channels are set out in plain language. Given not everyone has access to the wisdom of the Attorney General's Office it is essential the appropriate...

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Report Stage (12 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Yes. I move amendment No. 23:In page 10, to delete line 36, and in page 11, to delete line 1.

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Report Stage (12 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I move amendment No. 14:In page 10, lines 9 to 11, to delete all words from and including “, and” in line 9 down to and including “true” in line 11.I am concerned about this stepped approach, as the Minister described it, between reasonable belief and then that a concern or allegation might be substantially true. In explaining this stepped approach the Minister...

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Report Stage (12 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Minister is consistent but he is arguing a consistent contradiction because on the one hand he seems to be suggesting that reasonable belief in a substantial truth is almost a play on words-----

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Report Stage (12 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: -----and on the other hand he is recognising that it is a second and higher threshold in terms of availing of the protections. I accept that we are not going to agree on this matter but in terms of lay persons who finds themselves in circumstances where it might be necessary or they might consider coming forward with an allegation or revelation, to ask for reasonable belief is one thing but...

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Report Stage (12 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I move amendment No. 10:In page 9, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following:"(c) that a person has failed, is failing or is likely to fail to comply with a nonstatutory obligation, such as that arising from a professional code or workplace code of practice or recognised international standard, where such obligation is intended to uphold human rights, or other rights of citizens,".The...

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Report Stage (12 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: It is on page 9. Section 5(4) of Part 2 reads: "For the purposes of subsection (3) it is immaterial whether a relevant wrongdoing occurred, occurs or would occur in the State or elsewhere and whether the law applying to it is that of the State or that of any other country or territory." This does not cover exactly what I am seeking to remedy, but the Minister might comment on it. On...

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Report Stage (12 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I welcome the Minister's positive decision to make additions in respect of the code for the public service and Civil Service, but what I am referring to are legal instruments to which the State may have signed up but that remain unincorporated in statute. This is my concern. The Minister may say it is a bit of a reach to say that some of these instruments might be called upon or referred to...

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Report Stage (12 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: As the Minister indicated, my amendment No. 5 was grouped with the Minister's amendments. I am pleased to withdraw my amendment in favour of the Minister's amendment No. 4, which addresses the concerns raised and debated on Committee Stage. I thank the Minister for clarifying the matter and putting it to rest within the legislation.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (12 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I respectfully disagree with Deputy Eoghan Murphy in respect of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges because I think there is an attempt to nobble our work. I do not think it is the first attempt by Government, whoever the personality or whatever level, to do so. There has been clear discomfort in the fact that, as a committee, we have managed to call to account, in respect of...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (12 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: From the very beginning there has been a very narrow read of our terms of reference. I recall that when we had a discussion with the legal services here it was conceded that it was a narrow and conservative view of what we are ordered to do. There is a broader public interest issue here because there is a clear line of connection between section 39 bodies and funding authorities that are...

Death and Burial of Children in Mother and Baby Homes: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (11 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: It is appropriate to begin my remarks by applauding the women and men who have campaigned for many long years to achieve recognition of what happened in institutions across this country - recognition of the abusive and degrading treatment suffered by women and their children in mother and baby homes, county homes, children's homes, orphanages, Magdalen laundries and beyond. The idea of...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Architectural Heritage (11 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: 16. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason the preservation and restoration of the historical site of the last headquarters of the 1916 leaders at 14-17 Moore Street was not included in the six flagship commemoration projects to be funded under the phase 4 infrastructure stimulus projects he announced on 13 May 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter....

Mother and Baby Homes: Statements (10 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: A number of weeks ago during April, we gathered in Mount Jerome Cemetery to unveil a memorial stone to the 219 children who had died in the Bethany Home in Rathgar. The level of distress experienced by survivors and their families at that gathering was something to behold. At that stage, the Government and the State had adopted the position that there would be no dealing with mother and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Haddington Road Agreement Negotiations (4 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: Paragraph 1.15 of the public service agreement 2012-2014, the prior agreement, reaffirmed that priority would be given to public servants with pay rates at €35,000 or less when reviewing the re-instatement of pay levels. The Minister referred to the fiscal ruination of the State; many low-paid public and civil servants are facing fiscal ruination in their own homes. A woman from...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Haddington Road Agreement Negotiations (4 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I presume, then, that in accordance with paragraph 2.3 of the Haddington Road agreement, that those moneys will be re-instated to those workers. The Minister should bear in mind that whatever about workers having been seized of the necessity to balance the books, to save the day and to save the State, as he asserts, if I recall correctly they were certainly seized by the prospect of the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Haddington Road Agreement Negotiations (4 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: 5. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he is considering or has had discussions to date on the proposal to restore all rights, entitlements and conditions that pertained prior to the Haddington Road agreement upon its expiry in July 2016. [23709/14]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Haddington Road Agreement Negotiations (4 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I do not believe that any of the hard-pressed families or workers or those out of work across the State are living with anything other than the absolute realities of the decisions taken by the Government and its predecessor. One such group of workers are low paid public and civil servants who have endured cuts to their take home pay of anything between 18% and 20% since 2009. A commitment...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Private Partnerships Cost (4 Jun 2014)

Mary Lou McDonald: I thank the Minister for his answer. It seems almost impossible to get at the information required. I think the Minister will agree that €6.2 billion of investment in the wastewater sector is very significant. I think he will also agree that given the fact the public is now bracing itself for the imposition of water charges, concerns are now heightened as to that scale of...