Results 14,081-14,100 of 21,206 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: This is the Minister's amendment No. 18 - the big one. Am I not right in saying the Minister was going to look again at the wording of this amendment?
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: The legislation will not take effect until it has gone through the whole legislative process.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: That puts me in a difficult position also. I want to support the Minister in this, because he is doing the right thing.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: I do not want to accuse the Minister of anything. I had just assumed he would hold his fire until he had-----
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: We will come back to this on Report Stage.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: Why is that?
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: I move amendment No. 23: In page 19, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following:“22.Not less than two years and every 12 months thereafter following the commencement of this Act, all public bodies shall prepare and submit to the Minister a report relevant to the Act including but not limited to—(a) guidelines developed, (b) training conducted with employees, (c) data...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: What does that mean? Does it mean the Minister will take this idea and-----
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: I move amendment No. 15: In page 15, to delete lines 7 to 9.This amendment deals with protecting anonymity. I am concerned that the onus is placed on the whistleblower to make it known that he or she wishes to remain anonymous. That is the wrong way round. The presumption should be that there is anonymity and the onus should be on the person to whom the disclosure is made to treat as...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: I would like the Minister to reconsider it. Rather than proposing simple deletions, I will go back and look at a different wording. I think we agree on the objective which is not to stymie action.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: I appreciate that, but at the same time-----
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: I appreciate that point, but I am sure the Minister will appreciate equally that this piece is absolutely central in the day-to-day real life working of these provisions. In terms of people coming forward, this is absolutely key. I am happy to withdraw both amendments on the basis that the Minister will give the matter further consideration. I will bring forward amendments.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: That might be helpful; I thank the Minister.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: I am assuming the Minister has that legislation in front of him now. Does he?
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: Can the Minister confirm-----
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: I am curious and I do not know for sure, but is "the public interest" concept defined in that legislation?
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: I am not nitpicking here but am raising this issue because confidence in the system for serving gardaí and the public will hinge not just on the capacity to investigate but also a willingness to investigate. That comes back to this notion of the public interest, what it is and who decides. Obviously there will be a discretionary element to it. We go to the trouble of defining all...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: It is extremely important that such a facility is still available but I would appreciate it if we could find, somewhere, a definition of what we mean by "the public interest".
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: I raise this with the Minister because there was, and still is, a feeling among the public, whose interests we serve, that sometimes institutions of the State might have a biased belief that the stability and reputation of those institutions would trump all other matters and that this was in the public interest. The Minister made a point, quite rightly, of removing it in terms of a threshold...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Committee Stage (14 May 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: I move amendment No. 12: In page 14, to delete line 12 and substitute the following:“(b) in respect of the same matter, make or present against the same person an action for discrimination, disadvantage or adverse treatment in relation to the same employment—”.The idea here is to give additional protections to whistleblowers who have come forward and made a disclosure to...