Results 14,881-14,900 of 21,498 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: Does the Minister envisage that outsourcing will be limited to those short-term tasks or to mainstream service delivery?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: I congratulate Mr. Reid on his appointment. The reports look well and I am certainly very interested in the Minister's narrative on cultural change. I have a question that may be a little left of field. Was the Minister a party to any discussion on the defence of the Louise O'Keeffe case in the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of the State?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: From that I will take it that the Minister possibly was involved.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: It is germane in that we could talk until the cows come home about cultural change, openness and the need to change. It is accepted that there is a need for cultural change in the public service. Deputy Sean Fleming correctly pointed to the reflex reaction in the case of hospitals on the deaths of infants. There were very tragic cases in which the impulse was to protect the institutions...
- Order of Business (19 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: I raised with the Taoiseach yesterday the outstanding commitments made by the Government to the surviving women of the Magdalen laundries. As the Taoiseach knows, a full year has passed since the Taoiseach apologised on behalf of the State to the women, yet, since the apology only one sixth of those eligible for payment under the redress scheme have received any. Pensions, health care and...
- Leaders' Questions (19 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: All the evidence to date indicates very clearly that the Government has no interest in effective systems of oversight or governance. The Taoiseach has established that very plainly in public view. It is astonishing that the Labour Party and Fine Gael are to be allowed to be complicit in Alan Shatter's activities, which are aimed at undermining whistleblowers within An Garda...
- Leaders' Questions (19 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: I believe I speak for a great many people when I say I cannot for the life of me understand why Alan Shatter has been allowed to bully, ballyrag and bad-mouth Garda whistleblowers. For the life of me I cannot understand why the Taoiseach would be complicit in his actions, which are clearly aimed-----
- Leaders' Questions (19 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: -----at playing down, setting aside or even whitewashing issues in respect of GSOC.
- Leaders' Questions (19 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: That is how serious this is. If the Taoiseach cares about public confidence, he has no option but to establish a fully independent inquiry with this High Court judge which arms him with all the powers to call and compel witnesses and papers and come to findings of fact. That is the single act that will put this matter to rest. The Taoiseach knows this and I cannot understand why he has not...
- Leaders' Questions (19 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: Is that the best the Taoiseach can do?
- Leaders' Questions (19 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: I asked about an independent inquiry.
- Leaders' Questions (19 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: Independent.
- Leaders' Questions (19 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: In Alan Shatter? No.
- Leaders' Questions (19 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: When the two whistleblowers on the penalty points scandal stepped forward into the public light, having been frustrated in their efforts to bring the matter to a conclusion within the Garda Síochána, the instinct of the Minister for Justice and Equality was to rubbish these two men. He did so publicly. He did, of course, allege that they refused to co-operate with internal Garda...
- Leaders' Questions (19 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: Damage has been done to the Garda Síochána, to accountability and to whistleblowing within that organisation. The chief author of the damage is none other than the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter. The mystery is that the Taoiseach stands by him regardless, as do all members of Fine Gael and Labour. This causes much public bewilderment. The same Minister is...
- Leaders' Questions (19 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: I suggest that the Taoiseach relieves Deputy Shatter of his duties. With regard to the most serious allegation, that of bugging of the GSOC offices, I suggest the Taoiseach does the right thing at this point and uses the legislation available to him to establish, as a matter of urgency, a fully independent and functioning committee of investigation.
- Order of Business (18 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: On that point, I presume that when the High Court judge is appointed to inquire into these matters, that High Court judge will have access to the same information as has the supervising High Court judge in respect of surveillance activities. The Taoiseach might clarify this point.
- Order of Business (18 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: I understand that. I understand they are being drafted by the Minister for Justice and Equality, which does not fill me with any-----
- Order of Business (18 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: Pardon me?
- Order of Business (18 Feb 2014)
Mary Lou McDonald: Last week, I raised with the Taoiseach the recent enactment of the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Act 2013, which provides for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to regulate for sick leave across the public service. Does the Taoiseach remember this? Ministerial regulations are to be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas and these...