Results 1-20 of 7,583 for speaker:Rónán Mullen

Seanad: Election of Cathaoirleach (13 Sep 2007)

Rónán Mullen: A Chathaoirligh, ba bhreá liom mo ghuth a chur leis na guthanna siúd atá ag gabháil chomhghairdis leat ar an ocáid seo. Is lá iontach duit fhéin é, is lá iontach dod' mhuintir é agus, dar ndóigh, is lá iontach go mhuintir Uíbh Fhailí é. Offaly appears to be in the ascendancy politically. I hope it has better fortune in matters related to Gaelic games in due course. As one...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Oct 2007)

Rónán Mullen: I do not know if the Leader and the other Members will join me in sending our very best wishes to our Special Olympians, their families and supporters in Shanghai. Very often our culture emphasises strength and power and the vulnerable in our society are easily forgotten. The Special Olympians are witnesses to the power of love and solidarity between people and how this can triumph over...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Oct 2007)

Rónán Mullen: I hope that when such legislation comes before the House it will seek to provide protection for those women and children who are trafficked into this country and that they will not be seen as merely an immigration problem. I welcome my colleague, Senator O'Toole, questioning what happened to mutton. I thought he was going to volunteer the opinion that it was going around dressed up as lamb,...

Seanad: Climate Protection Bill 2007: Second Stage (3 Oct 2007)

Rónán Mullen: I welcome the Bill, which seeks to give legal underpinning to some of the climate protection aims set out in the programme for Government and the national climate change strategy. Nobody now doubts the importance of promoting a culture of responsibility where climate change is concerned. It would be wrong, however, to see legislation as the only or even main way to promote this culture of...

Seanad: Climate Protection Bill 2007: Second Stage (3 Oct 2007)

Rónán Mullen: I accept such a scenario is difficult to imagine. The provision in the equivalent British legislation to the effect that the relevant Minister should be subject to judicial review is more sensible. I compliment Senator Bacik on drafting this Bill and bringing it before the Seanad. The effort to enshrine in legislation our commitment to taking a lead is very laudable, even if our...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2007)

Rónán Mullen: The calls from the Independent benches and Senator Hanafin for Seanad reform and the call from my fellow east Galwegian Senator Healy Eames on electoral reform relate to the engagement of the public with the political process. While I know the House has debated electronic voting in the recent past, it would be timely for the Leader to arrange for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2007)

Rónán Mullen: I was sickened to hear time and again from members of the Government in recent years that Ireland would be the laughing stock of Europe if we did not introduce electronic voting. Never was there a more pathetic excuse of an argument for introducing electronic voting. While it might not be the most popular thing to say in this House given that we have all been through the difficulty of long...

Seanad: Coroners Bill 2007: Second Stage (4 Oct 2007)

Rónán Mullen: I propose to share my time with Senators Shane Ross and Joe O'Toole.

Seanad: Coroners Bill 2007: Second Stage (4 Oct 2007)

Rónán Mullen: Ba bhreá liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire agus tréaslú leis as an mBille tábhachtach seo. Tá sé thar am go mbeadh a leithéid de reachtaíocht os ár gcomhair. This is a very important Bill and the Minister is to be commended on introducing it. It proposes to replace legislation that has been in place for 45 years. The Coroners Act 1962 came into effect when Charles J. Haughey was...

Seanad: Coroners Bill 2007: Second Stage (4 Oct 2007)

Rónán Mullen: I apologise to Senator Ross for not giving way. The other Senator with whom I had intended to share time is absent from the Chamber. I am concerned that the provisions for granting legal aid are too uncertain. There appears to be too much vagueness about the circumstances in which legal aid might be granted. It should be made clear that legal aid is available on a means-tested basis,...

Seanad: Access to Education: Motion (10 Oct 2007)

Rónán Mullen: There is much to commend in this motion. The last education convention in 1997 addressed the governance of all schools and helped to clarify the constitutional position of education. If there was to be another such debate it would be welcome. I am concerned about the tone of this debate, not just in this House but in the media in recent weeks. It is unfortunate that a certain red herring...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2007)

Rónán Mullen: My colleagues have referred to the comments of Mr. Justice Carney before the Law Society in University College Cork yesterday. It is important that we soon have a debate in the House on the direction the criminal justice system is taking. We heard yesterday about the climate of fear and intimidation in some prisons because we take a short-sighted, punishment only attitude to criminal...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2007)

Rónán Mullen: It is important that we have that debate. Yesterday many colleagues raised the issue of abortion. It is time we had a debate on the subject. There are worrying reports that a reputable agency which has been doing good work for many years, CURA, will not receive funding from the Crisis Pregnancy Agency. We need to debate whether the Crisis Pregnancy Agency is fulfilling its remit to reduce...

Seanad: Burma: Motion (11 Oct 2007)

Rónán Mullen: I wish my fellow parishioner, the Minister of State atthe Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Michael Kitt, every success. He will apply his undoubted talents in the service of the country in the coming years. I do so on a sad occasion, one on which we reflect on a very tragic country. On 26 September the Burmese Government lived up to its reputation for brutality and its threats to act...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Oct 2007)

Rónán Mullen: I note the comments of colleagues on the Crisis Pregnancy Agency and CURA. In the light of last night's "Dispatches" report on Channel 4, a debate we should have in this House, perhaps in the presence of the Minister for Education and Science, is what we can do to promote a comprehensive respect for life in this State. Last night's documentary shows there is increasing disquiet in Britain...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Oct 2007)

Rónán Mullen: Yes. I seek a debate in the presence of the Minister for Education and Science. This is fundamentally an issue of educating the next generation about respect for human life at all stages.

Seanad: Education and Training: Motion (24 Oct 2007)

Rónán Mullen: I wish to share my time with Senator Feargal Quinn.

Seanad: Education and Training: Motion (24 Oct 2007)

Rónán Mullen: Lifelong learning relates to everybody — everybody matters. It has to do with the learning of each person from cradle to grave. This motion could have considered how the Government is performing in a range of sectors but it clearly refers to the adult learning experience. There may be a need to widen the context of the debate at some other time but the focus in this debate should be on...

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Nov 2007)

Rónán Mullen: I would be grateful if we could have a debate soon on the needs of elderly people, especially those in nursing homes. The nursing homes support scheme Bill is to be published soon and it will be an interesting debate about the financing of nursing home care. The Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, will be involved in the registration and inspection of nursing homes. There is...

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (7 Nov 2007)

Rónán Mullen: I reiterate what has been said about the need for a more unified thinking around the issue of parenting and child care. It is vital that we have more family friendly employment practices. Today's article by Ailish Connelly in The Irish Times tells of some very disquieting attitudes in the workplace towards women when it comes to taking maternity leave and having children. This is an...