Results 18,061-18,080 of 21,260 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Government has indicated that there will be a further decrease in the number employed in the public service by 2014. What decrease does Mr. O'Brien envisage within the HSE?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Has the HSE been given that target yet?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Where was that indicated?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: The outsourcing of the payroll function for these purposes would modernise and improve these services. They would be delivered externally. I do not know whether the HSE's cost analysis of that approach has been completed. The officials have suggested the HSE has one eye on the costings and one eye on reducing the number in its employment. Is that a fair summation of the HSE's position?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Mr. O'Brien seems certain that an outsourced approach would be more efficient and cost-effective. Has he established whether that is the case, or is he still trying to figure it out?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: I understand there will be a process of discussion with the unions, on which I am not proposing to intrude. What stage is the HSE at with the cost-benefit analysis?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: At what stage is it reckoned the HSE will have finished it?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: May I ask about the clinical director allowance?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: According to a table in the documentation furnished to the committee, the allowance was paid to 59 individual clinical directors in 2011 at a rate of €46,000 per annum and at a total cost to the HSE of €2.53 million. Will the officials explain to the committee what the rationale for the allowance is?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Will Mr. O'Brien confirm, for the benefit of those who may be watching, that these positions are filled by consultant doctors?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Is 59 the total number? I am conscious that it is a 2011 figure. Is it still 59 in 2012?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Good morning Mr. O'Brien, Mr. O'Brien - so good they did it twice? We have a Mr. Barry O'Brien and Mr. Tony O'Brien. I will deal with the payroll system. The picture that seems to be emerging is that there are figures for a HSE direct employee cohort and work is underway in respect of those engaged in the voluntary area. There are no figures for the cost of agency services or the cost of...

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: I understand that the other Mr. O'Brien, Mr. Tony O'Brien, stated in his opening statement: "Due to the challenges posed by the legacy payroll systems predating the HSE, it has been difficult to quantify with precision the exact number of staff and costs associated to individual allowances". I read from that there is an issue around the payroll systems.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Does Mr. O'Brien intend to rectify that situation and move to a single system?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: As Mr. O'Brien may know, one of the issues that is regularly referenced by the Minister on public sector reform is the idea of shared services. The idea is that all the users of a similar service are brought together for efficiency purposes. Is Mr. O'Brien thinking of doing that?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: What stage has the HSE reached on that initiative?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: In terms of that shared service model for HR and payroll in the HSE, will those services be retained in-house?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Service Executive - Review of Allowances (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: I understand from Mr. Barry O'Brien that the HSE is looking for a shared service for HR, including payroll, and that he proposes that this will be in-house, and that the HSE is not proposing to outsource any of those functions. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion with Civic Society Representatives and Focus Groups (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: In case Mr. O'Connell is wondering why I put the question to him on the balance between tax and cuts it is precisely because of the profession he is in. The allied professionals - architects were mentioned - have taken an absolute pasting because construction went off a cliff and because of the contraction in the domestic economy. I asked that question not to try to get Mr. O'Connell to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion with Civic Society Representatives and Focus Groups (8 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: I ask the question in a serious way. Mr. O'Brien says a little about it in his submission but I would like to know a little more. What does he think the scope of that initiative might be? I welcome the thrust of the ICTU submission. It is not even a mile away from the thinking of Sinn Féin. It is unfair to talk about spending €9 billion in total in investment in jobs and...