Results 981-1,000 of 3,519 for speaker:Michelle Mulherin

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Mar 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: I thank the Cathaoirleach for affirming that. I support Senator Victor Boyhan's call on the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to come to the House to elucidate on what is happening in respect of the post office network. We have the Kerr report, the business development group and the post office network renewal group, yet the only news we have heard is that there is...

Seanad: Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (8 Mar 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: There is no big mystery here. The legislation takes an all-Ireland approach, dealing specifically with Northern Ireland without referring to Britain.It recognises the voisinagearrangement which has been the status quosince the 1960s and the reciprocal arrangement is that fishermen from the Republic will be able to exercise the same rights. The legislation in itself will not set out the...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (7 Mar 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: I ask the Leader to take up the issue of the severe delays being experienced in the issuing of passports at the Passport Office. In the period from January 2016 to January 2017 there was a 74% increase in the number of applications for passports. Some 60,000 applications are pending. As is well known, the increase stems from Brexit in that people with an entitlement to an Irish passport...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Feb 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: I wish to raise the inequities thrown up by the higher education funding scheme, particularly for the squeezed middle. A recent and very interesting article in The Irish Times, by Brian Mooney, discusses the social divide and heavy dependency on higher education grants, especially in the institutes of technology. Some 61% attending institutes of technology have higher education grants and...

Seanad: Developments in Organic Sector and Greyhound Industry: Statements (22 Feb 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for his presentation setting out the position on both the greyhound sector and the organic farming sector. In regard to the greyhound sector, at this point I will be deferring to my colleague here, Senator Ray Butler, who has personal experience of and passion for greyhounds over the years.

Seanad: Developments in Organic Sector and Greyhound Industry: Statements (22 Feb 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: I am not sharing time. I am merely alluding to that. Briefly, on the issue of greyhounds, greyhound racing and the raising and breeding of greyhounds goes back centuries. It is part of our history and heritage. It gives great joy to those who are involved. When the statistic of 10 million people having greyhound racing meetings since 2002 is laid before one, it shows the significant...

Seanad: Developments in Organic Sector and Greyhound Industry: Statements (22 Feb 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: Hypocrisy.

Seanad: Developments in Organic Sector and Greyhound Industry: Statements (22 Feb 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: Where are the Sinn Féin Senators now?

Seanad: Minimum Custodial Periods upon Conviction for Murder Bill 2017: Second Stage (22 Feb 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: I welcome this debate, which is long overdue debate. I welcome the Minister of State and the families in the Visitors Gallery whose children were murdered. I believe that murder sentencing in this country is not fit for purpose. Change is long overdue. There are many serious categories of indictable crimes such as rape, murder and so on but none are treated in the same manner as murder....

Seanad: Business of Seanad (22 Feb 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: I move:That notwithstanding anything in the order of the House today in respect of the Minimum Custodial Periods upon Conviction for Murder Bill 2017, the debate on Second Stage of the Bill be now adjourned.

Seanad: Minimum Custodial Periods upon Conviction for Murder Bill 2017: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Feb 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.

Seanad: Recent Education Announcements: Statements (21 Feb 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: Regarding third-level education, we have the Mayo campus of Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, GMIT, located in Castlebar in Mayo, and there is much concern locally that the campus is being downgraded to the benefit of Galway. I have met recently with Dr. Fergal Barry, head of GMIT, and the local head of campus, Mr. Michael Gill. It would seem that the problems of GMIT apply both in Mayo...

Seanad: Recent Education Announcements: Statements (21 Feb 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: I asked the Department specifically about this matter and have not received a satisfactory answer. No one has ever contradicted any of my assertions.

Seanad: Civil Law (Missing Persons) Bill 2016: Second Stage (16 Feb 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: I understand that Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell is seconding the Bill. She has eight minutes.

Seanad: Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion (15 Feb 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: I welcome the Minister of State. This issue is back in focus again arising from the RTE programme and the shocking revelations of children with scoliosis having to wait in an inhumane way. If I say nothing else, I will say that someone needs to be held accountable. How can it happen that children who are in pain and who need surgery in a timely way are not being facilitated? In many ways...

Seanad: Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion (15 Feb 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: I am practically concluded. We are trying to take on the status quowithin the HSE, which seems to preserve itself at the higher level. It has to be accountable for how the health service is being delivered. It must explain how children with scoliosis, for example, can end up waiting so long without such delays being declared an emergency or a matter of urgency. People have to be held...

Seanad: Annual National Transition Statement on Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (15 Feb 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: I welcome the Minister. We are having a very important discussion and debate, whereby we can discuss the different sectoral mitigation measures which will feed into the national mitigation plan which is obligatory and which has to be in situby June this year as I understand it. To my mind, listening to comments, and we all know about the climate debate, the Paris Agreement and the Kyoto...

Seanad: Annual National Transition Statement on Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (15 Feb 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: Fianna Fáil eco-warriors.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: I welcome the changes to allow people to voluntarily acquire credits for up to five years to make up any shortfall in calculating their non-contributory old age pension payments. They will allow people to take career breaks and provide flexibility when people decide to leave the workforce for whatever reason. I acknowledge and compliment the changes made in favour of self-employed persons...

Seanad: Action Plan for Rural Development: Statements (9 Feb 2017)

Michelle Mulherin: I welcome the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Humphreys. I know she has the drive to realise the objectives of the Action Plan for Rural Development and oversee the various targets. This is the antidote to the two-tier economy arising from the massive growth of jobs in the cities and the consequent pressure on housing, schools and infrastructure....