Results 6,801-6,820 of 7,583 for speaker:Rónán Mullen

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: Tá sé.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: Following on from the points raised yesterday by my colleague, Senator Coffey, I propose an amendment to the Order of Business to allow us to discuss last week's decision by the Cabinet to exclude new applicants to the fourth round of the rural environment protection scheme. This is an important source of income to many small farmers, being worth an average of more than €8,000. Many...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: The interesting point is that Britain's immigration Minister agreed to accept the amendments. It would be nice to have a similar parliamentary process in this State, whereby the Upper House could vote down an amendment without it resulting in the collapse of the Government. A more mature approach and an openness to good ideas would be welcome. That would lead to a more empowered Legislature.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: An issue that is of grave concern to me and many others is the decision of the European Court of Human Rights to hear a challenge to our abortion law before its grand chamber of 17 judges by three Irish women. Quite apart from the merits or substance of this case, it is a very serious matter if any international body to which we are party should question our law on this most fundamental and...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: The preamble to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is the most widely ratified convention internationally, contains language to the effect that the child, by reason of his or her vulnerability, requires physical and legal safeguards before and after birth.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: That is the type of human rights jurisdiction to which we should adhere and no other.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: I have listened carefully to what my colleagues Senators Alex White, Bacik and Regan said. I also heard the Minister speaking on this very point in section 7. Like many others, there is a certain degree of mixed feelings among all of us on this matter. We all share the concern that something needs to be done in the fairly unique circumstances in which we find ourselves. As I said on the...

Seanad: Northern Ireland: Statements (14 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: Ba mhaith liom mo chuid ama a roinnt leis an Seanadóir Doherty, agus an Seanadóir Bacik. Níl aon ceannaire oifigiúil ag na Seanadóirí neamhspleácha, a Thaoisigh, mar sinn bíonn orainn am a roinnt. I welcome the Taoiseach and thank him for his words. Whatever criticisms can be made of politicians where the management of economic matters in recent years is concerned, the Northern...

Seanad: Northern Ireland: Statements (14 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: I will conclude on this point and pass over to my colleagues. I hosted a group from Northern Ireland, but people at all levels of society should feel the benefit.

Seanad: Northern Ireland: Statements (14 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: Carry on.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: Táimid mar Oisín i ndiaidh na Fianna. Ní amháin go bhfuil na Teachta Dála as láthar, ach tá sé mar a bheadh an sheriff anseo leis an ghanntanas troscán ar fud an tí. We are on our own today and it looks like the sheriff was here with a warrant judging by all the furniture that is missing from Leinster House.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: Normally, this should be the Seanad's opportunity to show the value of a second Chamber where we could interrogate legislation properly. However, as Senator Frances Fitzgerald stated, we will not have that opportunity because of the rushed nature of what is happening in these days. To see the phrase "all Stages" posted underneath legislation as important as the Criminal Justice (Amendment)...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: I conclude on that important point and hope I will get other opportunities to speak later.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: They were caught napping.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: I support what Senator Hannigan had to say about the cuts in overseas development aid. This is a topic to which we have returned on a number of occasions and to which we will need to return again. I note that the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Power, urged the UN high level conference to recommit to the world's poor and stressed that between 200,000 and 400,000 more children would die...

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: The Minister will regret the new defence of fair and reasonable publication, the introduction of which he is presiding over, and will also regret the strengthening of that defence, which is imported in his Dáil amendment to the Bill. The Minister has the reputation of being quite critical of the media and its abuse of its privilege and the position of trust it enjoys in our country. That...

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: There could be blasphemers needing to be arrested even as we speak.

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: A point of etiquette.

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: There is considerable anger out there.

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Rónán Mullen: Down with that sort of legislation.