Results 15,381-15,400 of 21,206 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Youth Employment: Motion [Private Members] (19 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I commend my colleagues for bringing this important issue to the Dáil. When it comes to caring for and investing in young people, we must face it that the State's record is pretty dismal. Historically, Governments have had little tolerance for young people, particularly those who come from poorer backgrounds or who have been failed by our education system. For many people, the Labour...

Youth Employment: Motion [Private Members] (19 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: So far has the party's gaze turned to the right that it cannot even consider social and taxation policies that were once part of its DNA. My colleague has mentioned the recent musings of a Government Deputy who believes jobless young people are more interested in watching flat screen televisions than going to work. That is a pathetic attempt to conceal the Government's failure to invest in...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Community Welfare Services (19 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: 356. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline the future of community welfare services in the Cabra area, Dublin; the length of time for which the four remaining community welfare officers will operate from the centre in Quarry Road; the way local people will engage with community welfare officers in the future; and the amount that has been spent on this service in Cabra...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Motorised Transport Grant Applications (19 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: 670. To ask the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) in Dublin 22 who applied for the motorised transport grant in 2012 has not yet received a decision on their application. [49186/13]

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 22 - Eligibility for Medical Cards (14 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: On the specific issue in the letter to RTE, is there dialogue and discussion on that matter?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 22 - Eligibility for Medical Cards (14 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: Okay, that was as clear as mud. I thank Mr. O'Brien.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 22 - Eligibility for Medical Cards (14 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: Mr. O'Brien is being cagey.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 22 - Eligibility for Medical Cards (14 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I appreciate the process was centralised. God knows we had many a session here around the backlogs and delays but, fortunately, that appears to be resolved. I also appreciate that it makes rational sense to have standardised procedures and to have a standard and a transparent approach. I am not gainsaying any of that. What I am simply saying is that people - 6,324 - who are ill and in...

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 22 - Eligibility for Medical Cards (14 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I would be interested to see that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 22 - Eligibility for Medical Cards (14 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: How does Mr. Hennessy know that?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 22 - Eligibility for Medical Cards (14 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: Okay but just a word to the wise. Just because the HSE has not been contacted does not necessarily mean the experience is not out there.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 22 - Eligibility for Medical Cards (14 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: We, as politicians, know that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 22 - Eligibility for Medical Cards (14 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: What does that mean?

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 22 - Eligibility for Medical Cards (14 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: So it was wrong that Katie had a medical card.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 22 - Eligibility for Medical Cards (14 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: Mr. Hennessy has commented on it that it was wrong Katie Connolly had a medical card.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 22 - Eligibility for Medical Cards (14 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: All right. Let me rephrase it. It was wrong that these 6,324 people, among whom we can count Katie, had medical cards.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 22 - Eligibility for Medical Cards (14 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I would say to Mr. Hennessy very directly that the support they want is their medical card back. That is what they want. I am not for a minute playing down the other fine supports and services which are there. These people want their medical cards back. I certainly do not want to put words in Mr. Hennessy's mouth but he began to say that we cannot compound something that was wrong by...

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 22 - Eligibility for Medical Cards (14 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: -----that causes people and their families because they all live in the same world we do. We are reeling off numbers here, naturally because the HSE is a big organisation which deals with a big budget and large numbers. These are not numbers; this is real stuff that is happening to people.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 22 - Eligibility for Medical Cards (14 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I am aware of that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2012 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 22 - Eligibility for Medical Cards (14 Nov 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: We are not going to have a meeting of minds on this and I think I have made my position clear. I refer to the language of probity and efficiency and centralising things for reasons that are entirely reasonable. When the consequence of that is thousands of casualties - I consider them to be casualties of that - we have to look at it again. Let me repeat that nothing has changed...