Results 5,741-5,760 of 7,583 for speaker:Rónán Mullen

Seanad: Education (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 Jan 2012)

Rónán Mullen: That is quite extraneous but I shall resist any temptation to respond.

Seanad: Order of Business (31 Jan 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I wish the Leader to clarify something. He mentioned that the debate on Committee Stage of the Education (Amendment) Bill will conclude no later than 6.30 p.m. I hope we will have concluded it by then but if not I hope it is not the intention of the Government to use the guillotine. I take it that what the Leader meant is that we will see what happens.

Seanad: Order of Business (31 Jan 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I thank the Leader.

Seanad: Order of Business (31 Jan 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I was not jumping to conclusions but nonetheless it may prove to be a very interesting debate and quite a few amendments have been tabled. I agree with my colleague, Senator Quinn, with regard to holding a referendum. Regarding this decision, "If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well It were done quickly". There is a need for speed because the longer this goes on the greater will be...

Seanad: Education (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I move amendment No. 3: In page 4, paragraph (c), to delete line 10. I welcome the Minister. The amendment has to do with the precise responsibilities of the Minister for Education and Skills in supporting students who face particular issues and are disadvantaged. The amendment seeks to reverse the proposal to delete section 2(1)(f) of the 1998 Act. Were this provision to stand, the...

Seanad: Education (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 Jan 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I thank the Minister for his response. However, it is by no means clear what the effects of the proposed provision will be. In his speech to the House on 25 January, the Minister did not clarify or give comfort as to what practical changes this would make for schools, both mainstream and special. He has assured us today that no services will no longer be delivered as a result of this...

Seanad: Education (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 Jan 2012)

Rónán Mullen: What harm is being done by the current situation? It seems to me that, in terms of having a proper vision for education, the Department of Education and Skills should continue to have responsibility in this area even if the service is de facto to be delivered by the HSE. How, if through this legislation the Department's responsibility is being removed, is it to have clout in this matter and...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Jan 2012)

Rónán Mullen: Ba bhreá liom tacú leis an méid atá ráite ag mo chomhghleacaí, an Seanadóir Mac Conghail. I wish to be associated with everything he has just said. Is there anything the Seanad can do to contribute to greater clarity on where a referendum fits into our plans for the fiscal compact and our agreement with our European partners? There seems to be an element of confusion about this....

Seanad: Education (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (25 Jan 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I welcome the Minister. I have great appreciation for his talents and ability but I have significant concerns about this legislation and advise him to gird himself because I foresee a long Committee Stage, assuming it is allowed by the Government and there is no guillotine. I draw the Minister's attention to a booklet called, A Brief Guide To How Your Parliament Works. One of the advantages...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jan 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I would like to join those who congratulated the Leader on his comments on "Morning Ireland" today but I will not do so. If the Leader cannot answer Cathal Mac Coille's straight question by stating where he believes the Taoiseach is wrong, he is not showing the independence of mind and approach which is the only basis on which the Seanad can recommend itself to the public. Senator Norris got...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jan 2012)

Rónán Mullen: We do not want to have a monopoly of Independents.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Jan 2012)

Rónán Mullen: Ba bhreá liom beannachtaí na hathbhliana a ghuí ar an Chathaoirleach agus ar mo chomhghleacaithe go léir anseo. I thank the Leader for setting out with determination to arrange for discussions on a number of topics. I acknowledge his efforts in setting dates for debates that have been requested by Senators. I thank him for being so helpful. I look forward particularly to the debate on...

Seanad: Recent Developments in Eurozone and European Council: Statements (16 Dec 2011)

Rónán Mullen: I apologise for interrupting the Minister of State. Is it possible to have a copy of her speech?

Seanad: Recent Developments in Eurozone and European Council: Statements (16 Dec 2011)

Rónán Mullen: We look forward to the day when the Minister of State does.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2011)

Rónán Mullen: I will give a word of advice to the Government through the Leader. It is not the Government's job to pressurise the people on behalf of Europe, but to pressurise Europe on behalf of the Irish people. When I heard of the comment of the Minister for Finance, it struck me that it was a comment very much in the tradition of the kind of spinning that has gone on over the years with regard to...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2011)

Rónán Mullen: The initiative costs a paltry €2 million. Someone stated that language was the light of the mind, in that it exposes young people to new horizons and cultures. In recent years, significant work has been done by a small team of people in training and providing resources for teachers in approximately 550 primary schools nationally so that modern languages other than Irish and English can be...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

Rónán Mullen: I share Senator Mullins's concern about the excessively limited terms of reference of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland inquiry. Will the Leader agree to hold a debate on standards in the media, which I requested a couple of days ago, and will he endeavour to hold it early in the new year? I believe everybody supports holding such a debate. Everybody should always be ready to admit that...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

Rónán Mullen: It was not a matter of submitting the issue to the Irish people for a decision but a referendum to abolish the Seanad. From the outset this proposal from the Taoiseach has had a shallowness which deserves criticism. There has not been a proper debate in either of the Houses about how our political institutions should function. There are rumours this morning that the Seanad is for the chop...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

Rónán Mullen: Can we have a full day's debate, or even longer, about the functioning of all our democratic institutions, especially the Dáil and the Seanad? On a day when it is being reported that people are extremely concerned about the amount of heckling in the Dáil, we need a far more profound reflection on how our political institutions are to be shaped. It is the responsibility of the Government...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

Rónán Mullen: Being nice and compliant to the Taoiseach will get us nowhere. The people of Ireland want to see whether we have minds of our own and whether we are capable of scrutinising legislation and policy with the distinctiveness that has characterised the Seanad in the past. Let us do that again and make our case to the people but let us start by making the case in this House and by having the...