Results 17,541-17,560 of 21,260 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Leaders' Questions (5 Feb 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: For most people the term "slavery" conjures up images of slave ships crossing the Atlantic between Africa and the Americas. What went on in the Magdalen laundries in this State, however, was a very Irish form of slavery. We know that it continued from the foundation of this State until 1996. An estimated 30,000 women were detained in these laundries, which were run by Catholic religious...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Private Residential Tenancies Board Remit (5 Feb 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to give support to the work of the Private Residential Tenancies Board in view of the legislative drive to increase their remit and workload. [5549/13]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: National Oversight and Audit Commission Establishment (5 Feb 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the establishment of the National Oversight and Audit Commission for Local Government; and the name of the independent chair and the membership. [5418/13]

Public Accounts Committee: Enterprise Ireland - Annual Report and Financial Statement 2011 (31 Jan 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I appreciate that neither Mr. Ryan nor his colleagues are responsible for Government policy per se or for the setting of that particular target of 100,000 jobs, but I am very alarmed by the fact that there was not a detailed discussion, analysis and mapping process in terms of the potential jobs yield from now until 2016 before the figure of 100,000 jobs was bounced into the public domain....

Public Accounts Committee: Enterprise Ireland - Annual Report and Financial Statement 2011 (31 Jan 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: We need bang for our buck. When an agency is given the type of budget Enterprise Ireland is given, I think I speak for people with common sense when I say that a yield in 2011 of six jobs is farcical and that a yield of 3,346 jobs is a whole pile better but is still not very promising. I do not know where the links have broken down. I will spare the political criticisms for those who...

Public Accounts Committee: Enterprise Ireland - Annual Report and Financial Statement 2011 (31 Jan 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: That is a lot of money. I have not done the calculation. I was looking at the statistics for the cost per job, which was raised by a previous speaker. If we divide €608 million by 3,346, it is extremely expensive job creation.

Public Accounts Committee: Enterprise Ireland - Annual Report and Financial Statement 2011 (31 Jan 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: The reason I am raising this matter with Mr. Ryan is that, in addition to the crisis industry and enterprise ran into in the crash, the major social crisis is joblessness. The Government has made a commitment to create 100,000 net new jobs by 2016. That target has not been broken down and I find the figure suspect. Enterprise Ireland is a key pillar. Mr. Ryan referenced the action plan...

Public Accounts Committee: Enterprise Ireland - Annual Report and Financial Statement 2011 (31 Jan 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: Can Mr. Ryan explain what he means by first-time jobs?

Public Accounts Committee: Enterprise Ireland - Annual Report and Financial Statement 2011 (31 Jan 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I accept that. It is a turn of phrase.

Public Accounts Committee: Enterprise Ireland - Annual Report and Financial Statement 2011 (31 Jan 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: Those were new jobs. What about the job losses?

Public Accounts Committee: Enterprise Ireland - Annual Report and Financial Statement 2011 (31 Jan 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: That might very well be the case, but Mr. Ryan is in the business of enterprise and we are all in the business of employment. The live register stands at 14% and we are in an emergency scenario. I take on board the pressure bearing down on the economy. We are all fully conversant with it in the Oireachtas and beyond. Mr. Ryan's organisation is a central plank of a stated plan by the...

Public Accounts Committee: Enterprise Ireland - Annual Report and Financial Statement 2011 (31 Jan 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: What will be Mr. Ryan's target for 2013? Can he signpost it for me by taking us through 2013, 2014 and 2015 and giving us the projected targets? I am sure Mr. Ryan has targets.

Public Accounts Committee: Enterprise Ireland - Annual Report and Financial Statement 2011 (31 Jan 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: A magic wand is not required. Does Mr. Ryan have a target figure for 2014 and 2015?

Public Accounts Committee: Enterprise Ireland - Annual Report and Financial Statement 2011 (31 Jan 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: Riddle me this: when the Minister in the parent Department announced the figure of 100,000 net new jobs by 2016, what level of consultation took place with Mr. Ryan's organisation? I am assuming, although I could be wrong, that a Minister would not conjure a number out of thin air as a nice round figure. I would have thought there was some conversation with the experts on the front line...

Public Accounts Committee: Enterprise Ireland - Annual Report and Financial Statement 2011 (31 Jan 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: Was Mr. Ryan not required to map out his targets to the target date of 2016? Would that not have been a sensible approach?

Public Accounts Committee: Enterprise Ireland - Annual Report and Financial Statement 2011 (31 Jan 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Government has done so.

Public Accounts Committee: Enterprise Ireland - Annual Report and Financial Statement 2011 (31 Jan 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: I liked Mr. Ryan's comment that no money would be provided without results. That is a strong maxim and I presume it applies to Enterprise Ireland as much as to the companies it supports. I want to examine the results in terms of job creation. Will the chief executive officer give me the net figure for the number of jobs Enterprise Ireland supported and created in 2011?

Public Accounts Committee: Enterprise Ireland - Annual Report and Financial Statement 2011 (31 Jan 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: The net figure was six jobs in 2011?

Public Accounts Committee: Enterprise Ireland - Annual Report and Financial Statement 2011 (31 Jan 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: What about 2012?

Public Accounts Committee: Enterprise Ireland - Annual Report and Financial Statement 2011 (31 Jan 2013)

Mary Lou McDonald: A figure was circulated earlier in December of 3,804.