Results 1,821-1,840 of 2,118 for speaker:Michael Mullins

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Mar 2012)

Michael Mullins: I support Senators Kelly and Leyden in the matter of the prohibition of turf-cutting. Clarity needs to be brought to the matter. I hope the negotiations taking place can be brought to a successful and full conclusion. I also hope everyone involved will be prepared to compromise because it is an issue that can divide communities which I hope it does not come to over the coming months. I am...

Seanad: Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (1 Mar 2012)

Michael Mullins: I join previous speakers in asking the Minister of State to consider this amendment, which is at the core of the problem. Perhaps he has indicated that there is light at the end of the tunnel in that the State has been able to bring in people doing the same job on lower rates of pay. It seems illogical and inconceivable that a company employing agency workers would have to pay people a rate...

Seanad: Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (1 Mar 2012)

Michael Mullins: The former Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern, was the great negotiator over the years.

Seanad: Suicide Prevention Services (1 Mar 2012)

Michael Mullins: I also welcome the Minister of State to the House. I wish to raise an issue on behalf of the Irish Institute of Naturopathic Medicine, which is located in Colliga House in County Wicklow. This is a European award winning centre that provides a range of services and specialises in the area of suicide prevention in particular. We all know the importance of that area, given the high levels of...

Seanad: Suicide Prevention Services (1 Mar 2012)

Michael Mullins: I thank the Minister of State for her response. I welcome the Government's additional commitment to mental health services, but I am disappointed with the response I have received. The alternative therapies that are available are worthy of consideration for funding. I ask the Minister of State to convey to the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, my desire for a meeting with her and with a...

Seanad: Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (1 Mar 2012)

Michael Mullins: I take issue with something Senator Walsh stated earlier about the senior Minister and the Minister of State. One will not find two Ministers in any Government who are more pro-jobs and who have introduced as many initiatives in as short a period of time, and that must be acknowledged. I spoke earlier in the House about the launch yesterday of the high-potential start-ups and the potential...

Seanad: Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (1 Mar 2012)

Michael Mullins: I will. There was an opportunity before 5 December last to have a lead-in period similar to what they had in the UK and it is regrettable that the social partners did not engage in a meaningful way. Everything we do and say in this House must be geared towards creating jobs and making it easier to retain and create new jobs. A situation similar to what they have in the UK would have been...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Mar 2012)

Michael Mullins: I have no doubt that during the course of the debate we will have during the coming weeks, the people will be very much focused on economic recovery, job creation and how we can get our country out of the mess it is in right now. In that vein I welcome the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Richard Bruton, opening the Enterprise Ireland high potential start-ups showcase...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Mar 2012)

Michael Mullins: Following our recent very comprehensive debate on job creation, perhaps we could have the Minister in the Chamber each quarter to update Members on how things are going and the jobs initiative is developing. He could give Members a further opportunity to feed into Government plans on an ongoing basis with regard to job creation.

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Feb 2012)

Michael Mullins: I welcome both the holding of the referendum and the responsible attitude being displayed by the Fianna Fáil grouping this morning in supporting the referendum. I wish to support Senator Conway's call to the Leader to facilitate some additional sittings of the Seanad to debate this treaty in an open and responsible fashion. This would also fulfil the wishes of Senator Colm Burke, who...

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Feb 2012)

Michael Mullins: It is certainly not a time for bashing any of our European partners because we are all in this together. This is probably the most significant decision we are going to be called on to make in the coming years.

Seanad: Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Bill 2011: Second Stage (28 Feb 2012)

Michael Mullins: I welcome the Minister and compliment him on his tremendous efforts in the recent jobs initiative. He has made a great start. He is well aware of the major challenge he faces as Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the great difficulties facing the country generally. I also welcome this important Bill which transposes into Irish law the EU directive on temporary agency work. I...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Feb 2012)

Michael Mullins: I ask the Leader to arrange, at an early date, for a debate on rail transport following the recent publication of the AECOM Goodbody Strategic Rail Investments Needs Review commissioned by Iarnród Éireann. The report recommends that sections of the rail network, including the Dublin-Cork and Galway-Dublin routes, be electrified, resulting in cheaper running costs, and that a hub station be...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Feb 2012)

Michael Mullins: Where will he be during the referendum?

Seanad: Standing Order 18: Motion (23 Feb 2012)

Michael Mullins: I will be brief. I support the change to Standing Order 18. The amendment should not be regarded as a compromise, but as evidence that Senators are a tolerant and inclusive group of parliamentarians. Senator Bacik referred to the background to the prayer and its introduction in the House in the 1930s when a compromise on the prayer's wording was reached. Some traditions are worth...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Feb 2012)

Michael Mullins: I wish to raise the issue of a major rip off in respect of additional insurance warranties which add up to 40% to the purchase price of goods. This happens mainly in the high-tech goods area. An example is an iPad costing €487; the additional cost of €149 is to cover damage and breakdown for two years and theft in the first year. When one takes out the small print, the company offering...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Feb 2012)

Michael Mullins: No, it would not. I am calling on the Government to investigate the Irish warranty market because this is a case of buyer beware. Many problems with electrical equipment will be covered already by the manufacturer's warranty. These additional policies sold at the counter by staff on commission allow the purchaser little time to consider the covers' details and its cost. This is a major...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Feb 2012)

Michael Mullins: How far back does Senator Byrne want us to go with this debate?

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Feb 2012)

Michael Mullins: Bring him into the House and we will talk to him.

Seanad: Media Standards: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Feb 2012)

Michael Mullins: I welcome the Minister. I refer to the RTE documentary "A Mission to Prey" broadcast on 23 May 2011. There were two segments in that programme, one of which has been very much in the news - the segment on Fr. Kevin Reynolds, which has been dealt with by the courts and is now the subject of a number of inquiries. However, a second segment of that programme referred to Br. Dillon, who...