Results 5,641-5,660 of 7,583 for speaker:Rónán Mullen

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: We will be seeking to see his hotel bills in due course.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: We can ask the Comptroller and Auditor General to investigate the matter.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I endorse what has been said by Senators Mac Conghail and van Turnhout. Anyone who is honest about it would say that despite adjustments made in the system of paying expenses and allowances, and changes were made in recent years, we still have not arrived at a properly transparent system. Quite frankly, politicians are faced with a choice between the hassle of maintaining receipts for the...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: There are occasional outbreaks of discussion in the House on the future of the Seanad and there have been a number of calls for a more extended reflection on our institutions and in particular the future of the Seanad. A very useful contribution has been made, however, by the inaugural parliamentary fellow in these Houses, Mr. Brian Hunt, who has written a report on the role of the Houses of...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: -----I would be asking the leadership-----

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I have no secrets to tell, but if I were leader, I would ask how it was that the grassroots of the party and backbench Members seemed to be more in touch not just with public opinion but also with experienced diplomats who had served in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade during the years in saying the withdrawal of our ambassador from the Holy See was a mistake. We all heard the...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: It seems we are not allowed to consider another politician's judgment as being bad. We will soon be asking permission to breathe here.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: Yes. There is a serious issue about the Tánaiste's credibility. He tried to claim all along that the decision was taken on economic grounds. It now appears the embassy to the Holy See was not even on the most recent list of embassies recommended for closure by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: Yes. Does the Leader agree with me that this was a decision taken on political grounds-----

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: -----and that it should be revisited sooner rather than later?

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: On foot of this information, perhaps the Tánaiste should explain himself to Members again.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: Do not burst the party.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: Are noises off allowed?

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: Exit, pursued - no, never.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: When I heard Senator Mac Conghail recall his theatrical experience and, at the same time, wish Senator O'Brien well, I naturally thought he would continue and invite his erstwhile colleague, Senator Coghlan, to break a leg as he goes forward into his new party. On a more serious note, I share with Senator Bacik the view that the House should have a debate on abortion, given that it is the...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: In asking for this debate, I point out to the Leader and the deputy leader, that no less a person than a former judge of the ECHR, Judge Javier Borrego-Borrego, when speaking recently in Ireland pointed out that what the court's decision points to is the need for consistency between our constitutional position and our legislative and administrative position. The notable point about the...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: The drift of things in recent years has been to show that whereas once it was thought there might be some kind of psychiatric grounds for abortion the tide is now running in the other direction and, if anything-----

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: Of course I am. If anything it now looks as there may well be adverse mental health sequelae for women associated with abortion some of the time. We are now in a new place with our knowledge about the impact of abortion not just on the unborn child but potentially on women as well. All these issues need to be scrutinised. We should also remember that were we to legislate for the X...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I agree with Senator Zappone, and although I did not see the documentary I am very familiar with the issues. We must change the law in this country and make the lives of people who would purchase the bodies of others much more complicated. We must target and hassle them, and we need a law that can be enforced. We must also push back against spurious arguments that suggest that if we...

Seanad: Education (Amendment) Bill 2012: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (7 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I move amendment No. 12: In page 9, line 3, after "with" to insert "the agreement of".