Results 6,481-6,500 of 7,648 for speaker:Rónán Mullen

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

Rónán Mullen: You are much better when you are ironic.

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

Rónán Mullen: I welcome what Senator Walsh said by way of clarification. The more widely accepted principle in regard to equality is that all persons are equal but different situations can be treated differently. It is worth remembering what our Constitution has to say in that regard in Article 40.1 on equality, which provides that the State can have regard in its enactments to differences of capacity...

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

Rónán Mullen: I find I have conflicting attitudes to the amendments. I am inclined to support Senator Norris's amendments. As I have consistently supported the principle that our legislation should be child rather than adult centred, it is difficult to argue against including the concept of a dependent child in amendment No. 2. The wording proposed in amendment No. 22 in regard to any dependent child of...

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

Rónán Mullen: On a point of order, the person in question was not named. If we are to have a reasonably fluid debate, we must be able to critique various positions.

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

Rónán Mullen: I ask the Leas-Chathaoirleach to consider that this House has a distinguished reputation for having debates which are adventurous and examine issues in a more considered manner than the other House. While some people may not accept that, it is a reputation the House enjoys. The Leas-Chathaoirleach will curtail and truncate this reputation if he heeds voices that wish to cut short Senator...

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.