Results 1,681-1,700 of 7,581 for speaker:Rónán Mullen

Seanad: Registration of Wills Bill 2021: Second Stage (6 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: I am pleased to second this Bill. It is a long time since I have been before the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and as she is a member of the Government I want to put something on the record of this House. I believe it very important that our Government is represented at the interdenominational service in Armagh on 21 October. I do not believe it has been made clear whether the Government is...

Seanad: Registration of Wills Bill 2021: Second Stage (6 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: The Minister is the person who should be there because she would certainly represent this country and the Government with dignity and decorum. I just wanted to take this opportunity to put that important point on the record of this House. Sometimes it is the only way one can get the ear of the Minister. This Bill needs to pass today. It should not be subject to a nine-month delay and...

Seanad: Registration of Wills Bill 2021: Second Stage (6 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Okay. The registration of a will is optional, not compulsory, and that is necessary because we do not want a situation whereby the failure to register a will would invalidate it.

Seanad: Situation in Belarus: Statements (5 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Sometimes the facts speak for themselves. In an election in August 2020, Alexander Lukashenko got 80% of the vote. This is his sixth term in office, having first been elected in 1994. This is a man who relies on fear in order to stay in office. Any voices of dissent, whether online or in the streets, are found, beaten, jailed and tortured. There are 650...

Seanad: Situation in Belarus: Statements (5 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Does the Minister mean Russia?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (5 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Cuirim fáilte roimh na haíonna ar fad agus gabhaim buíochas leo as ucht a bheith linn agus as ucht na bpáipéar a chuir siad chugainn. I will address my first question to the ASTI. I have read its submission and I note how it recalled the recommendations of Professor Áine Hyland on options such as the decoupling of the leaving certificate from higher education...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (5 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: On that point-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (5 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: On the question of career progression, we all frequently encounter parents and students who say they do not know what to do or what course to go for, etc. I often find myself saying one thing to remember is that people should be less worried about getting it right or wrong from the get-go at third level. People are much more mobile between courses, and between work and courses, throughout...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (5 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Ms Austick spoke about the goal being to reduce the competition of the points race and to support students to have an equal opportunity to attend higher education, with which I am sure everybody would agree. She talked about addressing the unacceptable inequality of outcome which is perpetrated under the current points race system. Does she mean inequality of outcome or opportunity? I ask...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Sep 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Having listened to the two Government speakers so far, I could easily be persuaded to give way so that we could hear from the Minister of State, Senator Hackett. I think everybody would want me to sit down if the Minister of State wished to get to her feet. What it brings out is the complexity of these issues. Those of us from rural Ireland are very concerned that as we go forward to take...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Sep 2021)

Rónán Mullen: I am over 50 now David. Gambling with Lives is a charity in Northern Ireland that has begun an important pilot programme to bring the message of the problem of gambling addiction to young people in Northern Ireland, where it is a particular problem. We also know that it is a significant issue in the South. Senator Ward and others are to be commended for their Bill banning betting on the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Sep 2021)

Rónán Mullen: The only flashing light will be the pilot light.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Sep 2021)

Rónán Mullen: I will stick to the races.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2021)

Rónán Mullen: I would like to ask for a debate, which we need urgently, on the meaning of commemorations at this sensitive time. When we had various commemorations of the Famine, and marked it and remembered all of those who lost their lives, it never occurred to me that we might be celebrating the fact that so many people died and suffered. I do not think many of us would have gotten involved if it was...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Understood. I fully intended to honour what the Constitution says and the practice of this House. His phrase is inescapably relevant. The President has spoken of "narrative hospitality", an eloquent phrase that talks about a willingness to be open to the perspectives, stories, memories and pains of the stranger. All I am saying is that I am confused. It would take a wise man to figure...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2021)

Rónán Mullen: We often see fit to praise him and I think we should, when he deserves that. If we find ourselves in disagreement, I think we should be free to say it.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2021)

Rónán Mullen: I will conclude. I will not do anything to disturb the tranquillity of the Cathaoirleach's job other than to say that we now need to have a discussion about what commemoration means. It is undeniable that a choice that has been made has certainly stoked up something in Irish public opinion that might not be entirely helpful. Forse un saggio e forse anche un furbo.We need to address and...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021: Second Stage (29 Sep 2021)

Rónán Mullen: I of course welcome this Bill. It is of a technical nature, but it does some important things. The Minister of State discussed the difficulty of obtaining prosecutions under section 2 of the Illegal Immigrants (Trafficking) Act 2000. There have been prosecutions in that regard, but the Minister of State's point was that it is often difficult to prove effectively that the trafficking or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion with School Management Bodies (28 Sep 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Cuirim fáilte roimh ár n-aíonna. I thank them very much for being here and for their presentations. I will just ask a few general questions. I am glad to let people answer as they see fit. I will also play devil's advocate to some degree because, while a great deal of good work is being done, people do have questions about the quality of our education system. I will jump...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion with School Management Bodies (28 Sep 2021)

Rónán Mullen: I thank Mr. Irwin.