Results 6,761-6,780 of 7,648 for speaker:Rónán Mullen

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jan 2010)

Rónán Mullen: Guím gach rath ar mo chomhghleacaithe don téarma amach romhainn. As others have done I welcome Senator Mooney to the House. I both envy and sympathise with him because it is not normal that one gets to hear so many tributes to oneself in one's lifetime outside one's retirement. I also sympathise with him because the number of tributes paid to him is greatly in excess of the number of...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jan 2010)

Rónán Mullen: I am asking seriously for a debate on the media in which we will not be hearing just rants about the media, but also constructive thoughts about how we can get the right balance between media freedom on the one hand and the right of all members of the public, including people in public life, to good standards on the other. On a number of occasions in the past year I have raised not only the...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Caithfidh mé a rá, mar adúirt mé inné, go bhfuil an-bhrón orm go bhfuil an chéim seo tógtha ag an Rialtas. Táim glan in aghaidh na gnéithe seo den Bhille. Bhí an liúntas leanaí an-tábhachtach riamh do theaghlaigh na hÉireann. Is bealach é trína léiríonn an Rialtas an tacaíocht atá á thabhairt ag an Stát agus an sochaí dóibh siúd a...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (15 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: Ba bhreá liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire go dtí an Teach. Tá sé deacair d'éinne a ghlacadh cé chomh deacair is atá rudaí sa tír aon cáineadh a dhéanamh ag an am seo. Is léir go raibh rudaí deacra le déanamh sa cháinfhaisnéis. Ag an am céanna, ní féidir a shéanadh go bhfuil daoine maithe gonta toisc na cinnithe atá tógtha ag an Rialtas. Tá ceisteanna le chur faoi...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: I welcome Senator Ó Brolcháin. I wish him many happy and successful years in national politics. I extend the same welcome to Senator James Carroll because I was not present when he joined us for the first time. The ordinary people continue to lead the way when it comes to generosity in situations where people are in desperate need. I took part in a Newstalk debate on the amazing and...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: Yes, I am asking the Leader when there will be a Government initiative that acknowledges it was partly the irresponsibility of Government policy in recent years that allowed so many ordinary people to get into situations that now prove untenable. We need something as far-reaching and innovative as NAMA to deal with the extraordinary situations in which ordinary people find themselves. I seek...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: There is no point whingeing about aspects of the budget. It is like trying to change the weather in this country. However, it must be said that there are aspects of the budget that are profoundly regrettable. We knew what would happen with child benefit but that is no consolation. The cut in child benefit is inappropriate and redolent of the attack on families by the Government through...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: Will the Leader arrange a debate at the earliest opportunity on the need to enhance the treatment of stroke, so that it can become as treatable a condition in Ireland as it is elsewhere?

Seanad: Dental Services (8 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Aire. Tá brón orm nar thug sí oiread agus leid dom fé céard a bheadh i gceist ag an Aire amárach, ní amháin maidir leis an scéim seo ach le go leor scéimeanna fiúntacha eile. Fanfaimid le h-aghaidh an scéal amárach ar aon nós.

Seanad: Dental Services (8 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Táimid uilig ag súil le cloisteáil cad iad na himpleachtaí dá Roinn ón cáinfhaisnéis amárach. The background to the matter I am raising is the proposal made in the McCarthy report that the dental treatment benefit scheme, DTBS, or the PRSI scheme as it is commonly known, should be abolished. The scheme is an insurance scheme that operates on the...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: Senator Norris spoke about other Senators speaking for their parishes. I do not know much about that, but one payment we should all support is child benefit. Last week I met the group Protest Against Child Unfriendly Budget and spoke to Treasa Dovander. I believe most sensible people recognise the folly of attacking child benefit. In 1986 the report of the Commission on Social Welfare...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: It attacked families through the introduction of tax individualisation at the beginning of this decade. It should not now attack families by attacking child benefit.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: I would like to refer briefly to a point raised by Senator Norris who wastes no opportunity to suggest the church is somehow above the law in certain areas. That is not true. The legislation on equality in employment has been drafted to allow organisations in the health and education sectors to protect their ethos. Nothing could be more consonant with reason than this. For that reason,...

Seanad: Mental Health (Involuntary Procedures) (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: As the Green Party has withdrawn certain aspects of its original proposals in this Bill, I will confine my comments to what remains, essentially whether ECT should be permitted in the absence of the patient's consent. I admire the animating spirit behind this initiative and believe it is right and proper that we think long and hard in terms of human rights and dignity when we consider any...

Seanad: Mental Health (Involuntary Procedures) (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: We are talking about rarely used treatments, that are strictly regulated but where a treatment is evolving, it is not the place of this House to substitute its judgment for that of medical professionals who might in the future develop a type of psycho-surgery or other treatment that could be beneficial. These matters must always operate within constitutional and legal parameters. I...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: I second Senator Quinn's amendment to the Order of Business. When that debate took place last year I was very pleased at the support which came from different sides of the House for that particular Bill. I would be hopeful if at some future date it is discussed in the House that we may have more support from both sides of the House and that people might like to join me in proposing the...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: And UCD.

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: There is constitutional provision for an extension.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: I believe it is very important that we debate the Murphy report on Thursday. These are heavy days for people of goodwill at all levels of the Catholic church and outside it because of the abuse and the fact that the handling of these cases was characterised by massive incompetence, and sometimes more than that, and ineptitude farther back in the past. Like Senator O'Sullivan, I have had the...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Dec 2009)

Rónán Mullen: I hope we can have a debate on the fair funding of all educational institutions by the Department.