Results 16,401-16,420 of 21,260 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 201: Report and Final Stages (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I move amendment No. 20:In page 4, line 42, after “concerned” to insert the following:“with due regard of the State's equality and human rights obligations”.

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 201: Report and Final Stages (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I move amendment No. 22:In page 5, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following:“(c) the State's equality and human rights obligations.”.”.

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 201: Report and Final Stages (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Private Members' Bill that will continue to be debated this evening is concerned with amendments to the Equal Status Acts and the matter of equality budgeting. The Government is opposing the legislation. It cites the Bill’s imperfections, which could be remedied on Committee Stage, but the truth is that despite commitments and rhetoric on equality and human rights obligations,...

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 201: Report and Final Stages (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I move amendment No. 16:In page 4, lines 23 and 24, to delete “as soon as may be” and substitute “immediately”.The Minister will be familiar with the amendment because we discussed it on Committee Stage. As he is aware, the amendment seeks to replace the term "as soon as may be" with the word "immediately". When we discussed the issue on Committee Stage, the...

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 201: Report and Final Stages (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: Just to clarify then, "as soon as may be" is terminology that means, in effect, immediately and without any delay.

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 201: Report and Final Stages (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: That is as clear as mud.

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 201: Report and Final Stages (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I move amendment No. 18:In page 4, line 34, after “concerned” to insert the following: “with due regard of the State's equality and human rights obligations”.

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 201: Report and Final Stages (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I move amendment No. 14:In page 4, line 1, after "Government” to insert ", to include all cabinet members".We discussed this matter at Cabinet-----

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 201: Report and Final Stages (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I am getting ahead of myself. That was quite a Freudian slip.

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 201: Report and Final Stages (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: We discussed this matter on Committee Stage and I proposed two amendments to clarify that where the legislation states, "Each financial year the Government", this should include all Cabinet members. I made the point that significant criticism has been made within the Cabinet because of what is perceived by senior Ministers to be their exclusion from key expenditure and budgeting discussions...

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 201: Report and Final Stages (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: That being the case and given this clarification - of course, I know the constitutional definition of the Government - this definition should be borne in mind when budgetary decisions are being made and when expenditure plans and binding plans are being set out. The inclusivity of the definition cited by the Minister should be recalled and honoured.

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 201: Report and Final Stages (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I move amendment No. 15:In page 4, line 7, after "year" to insert the following:"with due regard of the State's equality and human rights obligations".It was a very positive move that the programme for Government stated explicitly that decisions of public bodies would be taken with due regard to the State's equality and human rights obligations. This was a very important statement of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Terms of Reference of Sub-Committee on Global Taxation: Motions (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I will be brief. I wish to convey my condolences to Deputy Higgins. I was not aware that he had lost his mother. Nobody has suggested that the due diligence to which Deputy Kevin Humphreys referred would not be done. It is self-evident that the OECD and other bodies must be questioned to ascertain information from them. Anybody who happens to be watching this session will simply have...

Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I support the spirit of a lower threshold to trigger and sanction inquiries. If the Minister accepted some or all of these amendments, it would offset concerns about majoritarianism in the establishment of inquiries. In other parliaments and assemblies, a trigger of one third is deemed an appropriate level to give impetus to the establishment of an inquiry. There is merit in this proposal,...

Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: If we were to adopt the definition of bias as enunciated by some here, we would never get to question anyone because we are on the record on many issues, such as the HSE and virtually every public service throughout the State. Very often our questioning has a political charge to it because we are carrying out a representative function. We must be very careful how we define bias and what...

Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: One would never guess so.

Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I recognise the intent behind Deputy Sean Fleming's amendments. For the purposes of underscoring inclusivity and putting paid to any concerns relating to the Government delivering a ready-up in the context of the membership of a committee of inquiry, it would be useful if they were included in the Bill. I think we are all clear on the fact that in the context of the legislation before the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Issues (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: 22. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on the report he has ordered the State Examinations Commission to make into the typographical errors and mistakes that were made on leaving certificate papers; if he will provide details of the way answers to these questions will assessed in view of these mistakes. [32211/13]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: 37. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a guarantee that he has shelved plans to include assets such as farmland and business premises in the means tests for third level students. [32212/13]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Price of Medicines (3 Jul 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: 207. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 901, 902 and 941 for 11 June 2013, if the Health Service Executive concluded its consideration of the Intermune offer in relation to the pricing of Pirfenidone; and if not, by what date will a decision be reached. [32314/13]