Results 7,581-7,600 of 7,644 for speaker:Rónán Mullen

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: In the context of congratulating our young friends from Birr a few minutes ago, I had a conversation with them, which turned to the topic of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, in which many of us have a great interest. We have our own very fine walking routes in Ireland, such as the increasingly popular St. Declan's Way between counties Tipperary and Waterford. There is also the famous...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: This day last week the name Robert Francis Prevost would have been known to very few people in this House or elsewhere. A week on, he is arguably the most famous person in the world as Pope Leo XIV. He has certainly relegated you-know-who to the position of only being the second most intriguing and interesting person in the world and that is probably no bad thing in most people's view....

Seanad: Public Health (Restriction on Sale of Stimulant Drinks to Children) Bill 2025: Second Stage (14 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: I welcome the Minister of State. I commend my colleague Senator Keogan on bringing forward this important Bill. I thank Senators Wilson, O'Reilly and others for supporting it. I am often struck when I am doing the family shopping of what a long way we still have to go in this country in getting people the information they need about the products they are purchasing. It may have to do with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Business of Joint Committee (14 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: I am an Independent Senator for the National University of Ireland. It is my first time on this committee and I am very glad to be on it and working with members. Areas of particular interest to me that might be connected with this committee in recent years include remuneration issues. With regard to RTÉ, I brought forward Private Members' legislation looking at the issue of keeping...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: We need 6,000 GPs in this country to provide adequate primary care services to people. We only have approximately 4,500. The country has a shortfall of 1,500 GPs. Meanwhile, 30% of newly qualified GPs are emigrating, seeking better working conditions and opportunities. This haemorrhaging of doctors and nurses to the US, UK, Canada and Australia is a crisis. The Irish College of General...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: There are many issues that the Department of Health should be grappling with as we all know, not least a lack of oversight of children's healthcare, the scoliosis issue and the endless saga around the national children's hospital. There are a range of issues that should be top priority, but when one looks at some of things that have been prioritised, it should really make us all wonder....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Policy, Governance, Expenditure and Administration at RTÉ: Discussion (28 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: The delegates are all very welcome. Many of the issues around governance, expenditure and administration have been well and rightly ventilated. I want to turn to an issue of policy, and it is probably most appropriate to direct my question to Mr. Bakhurst and Ms McCarthy. Many are critical of RTÉ because they feel it fails to reflect the variety of perspectives of a silenced,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Policy, Governance, Expenditure and Administration at RTÉ: Discussion (28 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: I accept that there is always a degree of subjectivity regarding these issues but believe the answer given is the standard defensive boilerplate answer that RTÉ has been giving for years. Let me give one example. Today there was a discussion on Claire Byrne’s programme about an often-ventilated issue, namely the need for daycare and childcare in this country, yet the perspective...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Policy, Governance, Expenditure and Administration at RTÉ: Discussion (28 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: Does RTÉ do any staff research? Does it ever investigate whether too many people think the same way about certain issues in the organisation? Many think that is the case.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Policy, Governance, Expenditure and Administration at RTÉ: Discussion (28 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: I think there is a cultural elite, and I think Mr. Bakhurst needs to ask the question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Policy, Governance, Expenditure and Administration at RTÉ: Discussion (28 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: One of the great ironies of our time is that there is so much talk about unconscious bias practically everywhere except where it matters – in our public service broadcaster. I invite the delegates to reflect on this issue and ask whether what they are hearing from me is just the subjective view of a small number of individuals or whether there is a wider concern. I suggest that they...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Policy, Governance, Expenditure and Administration at RTÉ: Discussion (28 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: I am happy to audition.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Policy, Governance, Expenditure and Administration at RTÉ: Discussion (28 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: They say politics is showbusiness for ugly people.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Policy, Governance, Expenditure and Administration at RTÉ: Discussion (28 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: I thank the witnesses for their answers. I know they cannot give every dog and devil a commitment they will reflect their views but I would ask them to consider doing an audit of the staff to see whether there is an excess of sameness of opinion across a range of issues, and whether this could be affecting RTÉ's output. I hope there is not the same institutional stonewalling going...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Policy, Governance, Expenditure and Administration at RTÉ: Discussion (28 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: I did not mention religious.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Policy, Governance, Expenditure and Administration at RTÉ: Discussion (28 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: An audit could be done and it could be done confidentially. RTÉ could try to establish whether it has a groupthink problem.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Policy, Governance, Expenditure and Administration at RTÉ: Discussion (28 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: That does not arise if it is confidential.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Policy, Governance, Expenditure and Administration at RTÉ: Discussion (28 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: If there is a sameness of viewpoints, and if there is an elite that all think the same way on a range of issues, that is not public service broadcasting of high quality.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Policy, Governance, Expenditure and Administration at RTÉ: Discussion (28 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: Mr. Bakhurst can find ways to do it. RTÉ has a duty to the public to ensure diversity of viewpoints.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Policy, Governance, Expenditure and Administration at RTÉ: Discussion (28 May 2025)

Rónán Mullen: It is not just the issues that RTÉ covers; it is the issues that it does not cover.