Results 6,421-6,440 of 7,583 for speaker:Rónán Mullen

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: Of relevance to this issue is anything that touches on children being considered.

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: We are not attacking the character of individuals but raising issues.

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: I compliment you, a Leas-Chathaoirligh, on allowing Senator Bacik the leeway because her contribution was much more coherent as a result of her being allowed to discuss in interesting detail the issues on guardianship. I want to encourage you along that route because we will have a more informative debate if we do it that way. I also compliment Senator Norris, but I encourage him not to be...

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: It is much better to do bring it all out. Bring it on, as they say. If there is anything that requires clarification, I am sure the Senators so impugned will be delighted to respond with precisely what they mean.

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: I know you will want to be very fair in allowing it to me. Senator Walsh was correct in pointing to the need for objectivity when it comes to assessing what is in the best interests of children. In that regard I, too, was surprised by the comments of the president of the Law Reform Commission. I recall an occasion when a previous president of the Law Reform Commission lost his job because...

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: I welcome the Minister to the House. If this legislation had been drafted in a different way, it would have been excellent and would have attracted near universal support. Unfortunately, as drafted, the Bill merely masquerades as a piece of ground-breaking, compassionate, equality legislation. The reality is that in parts the Bill is cruel and discriminatory, not something of which to be...

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: It is interesting that the Supreme Court said that this legislation might not be constitutional if there were not such an exemption. If that is true in regard to employment matters, given the implications for employment for people who might have complained about that legislation, surely it applies a fortiori that when all one is doing is withdrawing from the provision of a particular service...

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: Was he called Queen?

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: Yes.

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: Senator Buttimer was right to defend my colleague's honour but he did something many people have done in the House today. He has argued against points that were not made. I heard people making arguments about the Catholic Church's teaching, for example, as though people opposing the Bill wanted to enshrine the Catholic Church's teaching in the law. It is a fact that marriage under our...

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: I am speaking to the amendment. I am explaining why it is necessary to maintain the concept of marital or civil status so that, for example, in the equal status legislation we will not be just changing the prohibited ground of discrimination of marital status to civil status-----

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: Nílim. Táimid ag dul i dtreo an mheánoíche anois agus séard atá i gceist agam ná tuilleadh scagtha a dhéanamh ar an mhéid atá faoi chaibidil.

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: Nuair a dhéanann an Seanadóir Buttimer botún, is gá domsa dul isteach le míniú eile le go mbeidh mé in ann an rud a shoiléiriú dhó agus do dhaoine eile le go mbeidh tuiscint níos fearr againn.

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: Chomh fada agus is eol domsa, níl aon teorann ar an mhéid ama ina bhfuil cead ag daoine labhairt ar an Chéim seo de phlé an Bhille. I ask the Leas-Chathaoirleach to bear in mind we are not limited for time. It was necessary for me to bring in some clarification because Senator Buttimer clearly misunderstood-----

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: As George Bush would say, he perhaps misunderestimated our tenacity but he clearly misunderstood the effect of the change from marital status to civil status throughout the Bill, and he clearly misunderstood the intended effect of our amendments.

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: The Minister seemed to seek clarification. If I understand him correctly, he is asking if it is the intent of the amendments to detract from the protections against discrimination on the grounds of civil status under equal status legislation.

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: Clearly, this would be just a change of phraseology in that wherever there is a reference to civil status, there would be a reference to marital or civil status. That would apply to the proposed equality legislation also. In other words, the new prohibitive ground would be marital or civil status. There is a separate amendment which I hope the Minister has studied in great detail and to...

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: There are two discrete issues. I hope the Minister will consider the amendment on its merits.

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: Correct.

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Jul 2010)

Rónán Mullen: With the best will in the world, I do not think what the Minister suggests could be construed from the way the amendment and related amendments are worded. It could have no impact other than at the level of nomenclature, if that is the correct word to use. It is at that symbolic, cultural and messaging level the amendment would operate. The Minister has indicated he perceives a deficiency...