Results 18,221-18,240 of 21,260 for speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

Public Accounts Committee: Garda Síochána - Review of Allowances (1 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Will Mr. Callinan indicate the purpose of the change management allowance? I understand 13 individuals are in receipt of this allowance of more than €6,000 per annum.

Public Accounts Committee: Garda Síochána - Review of Allowances (1 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Are the 13 individuals gardaí or civilians?

Public Accounts Committee: Garda Síochána - Review of Allowances (1 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Is it an annual allowance?

Public Accounts Committee: Garda Síochána - Review of Allowances (1 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: What rank are the gardaí?

Public Accounts Committee: Garda Síochána - Review of Allowances (1 Nov 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: The Commissioner's stated intention is, in accordance with the Croke Park agreement, to initiate reforms, create new efficiencies and maximise service to the public. I am trying to tally this with the intention to eliminate this allowance. Does Mr. Callinan see from where I am coming? Is there an ongoing rationale in respect of continuing to pay this allowance to the 13 individuals...

Public Accounts Committee: Irish Congress of Trade Unions - Review of Allowances (31 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Deputy Simon Harris is not scaring me. Fine Gael should be scared.

Public Accounts Committee: Irish Congress of Trade Unions - Review of Allowances (31 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: For the purposes of this discussion, we are discussing the public sector and its pay bill. There is a shared commitment, as Mr. Shay Cody put it, to reduce the pay and pensions bill dramatically. Members of his union and others have taken a substantial hit. However, there remains a segment of people at the top who still earn very high wages by international comparisons. It strikes me, as...

Public Accounts Committee: Irish Congress of Trade Unions - Review of Allowances (31 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: I do not accept that. Mr. Cody is entirely wrong and it is disingenuous for him to make such an argument. Anyone looking at the system of allowances can only conclude that the existence of 1,100 allowances that have come to be through a variety of circumstances is not a sustainable position. Has the Minister opened up a discussion with the unions on the kind of consolidated pay regime...

Public Accounts Committee: Irish Congress of Trade Unions - Review of Allowances (31 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: No, and I understand that this has been made abundantly clear. However, it is entirely legitimate for members of this committee to ask the witnesses whether, given they represent their constituent unions and are a committee of the ICTU, members are correct in assuming the unions will defend the continued payment of these allowances. I seek a "Yes" or "No" answer.

Public Accounts Committee: Irish Congress of Trade Unions - Review of Allowances (31 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: That is not nearly as categoric as Ms King's answer.

Public Accounts Committee: Irish Congress of Trade Unions - Review of Allowances (31 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Yes; members are aware of that.

Public Accounts Committee: Irish Congress of Trade Unions - Review of Allowances (31 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Then I do not understand the reason Mr. Geraghty cannot be as categoric as was Ms King. One point that has struck members, while working their way through all these allowances, the cost thereof and to whom they are paid, is that in the vast majority of cases they are clearly part and parcel of the pay and wages of people in receipt of modest incomes. I believe members have established that.

Public Accounts Committee: Irish Congress of Trade Unions - Review of Allowances (31 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: It struck me during Mr. Cody's opening comments and continues to strike me as odd that as a committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the witnesses cannot say categorically and simply that the trade unions will enter into the appropriate process but will be arguing on behalf of their members that the allowances continue to be paid.

Public Accounts Committee: Irish Congress of Trade Unions - Review of Allowances (31 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Now that Mr. Cody has mentioned it, I should have thought of that.

Public Accounts Committee: Irish Congress of Trade Unions - Review of Allowances (31 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: As Mr. Cody has raised it, I note the equivocation on his part on the issue of defending the allowances.

Public Accounts Committee: Irish Congress of Trade Unions - Review of Allowances (31 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: I will then choose different vocabulary. There is a sort of hands-off view regarding the allowances. The witnesses are happy for them to go through the more localised procedures, as was set out-----

Public Accounts Committee: Irish Congress of Trade Unions - Review of Allowances (31 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: I am not disputing that. I am asking for a straight answer.

Public Accounts Committee: Irish Congress of Trade Unions - Review of Allowances (31 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Mr. Cody is not giving me a straight answer.

Public Accounts Committee: Irish Congress of Trade Unions - Review of Allowances (31 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: Mr. Cody should note I would expect the public services committee to have a settled position on a couple of things in respect of these allowances and pay generally within the public sector. I would expect it to have a settled view that people on modest incomes cannot take another hit. I would expect it to have a settled view that it cannot tolerate what is almost pay apartheid within the...

Public Accounts Committee: Irish Congress of Trade Unions - Review of Allowances (31 Oct 2012)

Mary Lou McDonald: In respect of high earners within the civil and public service, including county and city managers, head of VECs and so on, Mr. Cody should indicate whether he, the ICTU or the trade union movement proposes to take on that particular issue any time soon.