Rónán Mullen
National University of Ireland · Independent · Ireland
“The fun side of her personality certainly came out during her participation in "Strictly Come Dancing". I think she had the humility to see that even if on occasions she could be seen as cutting a slightly absurd figure, she used that to generate affection and attention for the points of view she held a deep conviction for.”
“I also welcome our French dignitary and say, Vive la France ce soir et vive le Chemin de St. Jacques en France, I would say, à titre personnel. I do not think I was the only one in this House who was very shocked and upset by the news of the murder of Ann Widdecombe last Friday.”
“This Bill, I think, is the opportunity for the Government to recognise that it is not just extreme or violent pornography that is the problem.”
“Teresa's in Clarendon Street at 12.45 p.m. It is time for us all to reflect on the risks people in public life face, not just during their parliamentary careers but afterwards as well. Let us hope for a more secure and safer society for us all where people can express their ideas in a forthright and honest way and not be harmed for that.”
“He is so worried about adult privacy rights that he is not willing to commit to what is needed to protect children from being able to access pornography now. There is one thing the Minister of State did not say. He said that there is already existing online safety regulation restricting access to pornography, but is it working?”
“I acknowledge the work done by Coimisiún na Meán as the regulator in the online space. With all it has on, its role requiring parental controls, reporting, flagging and complaint mechanisms is important. It is undoubtedly attempting to fulfil its remit in demanding age assurance mechanisms of online platforms.”
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“Great efforts have been made in that regard, but I had to raise in the Seanad in recent weeks the fact that some people were without power for an unacceptable amount of time. I also want to note the good work being done by Teagasc in its ongoing support for forest owners impacted by storm damage. That is my summary of the issues I want to raise with the Minister of State today. I do not intend to use all of my time. I will leave it at that. I will be very grateful to hear his response.”
“Perhaps there could be higher premiums where the State wants particular things done and has particular types of forestry it wants to achieve such as, for example, in sensitive areas. Perhaps premiums could be run over a longer term and a lower premium provided in areas where farmers could plant whatever they want. These are the kind of issues that have been raised with me. As I said, I wanted to put them on the record today and to hear the response of the Minister of State if possible, in what is admittedly a limited amount of time available to him. I wish to acknowledge, in the context of the recent storm devastation, the fact that many people were left without power for a long time.”
“The view that is quite widespread is that the premiums are simply not enough to get going the kind of forestry business required, given the value of land and indeed the demand for it, not least because of the nitrates arrangements. The question being asked is in the context of ash dieback, where the vast majority of broadleaves were ash and there has been a huge decline in broadleaves in the overall volume of native woodland. A lot of that ash will go into Sitka spruce in second rotation. In some areas, land could be up to €20,000 an acre. We know an ash forest may be worth €2,000 an acre. One farmer said in the context of what people do around the second rotation that if there is no premium, farmers would be better off grazing goats. Could a more targeted approach be taken into the future?”
“The way it was put to me concerned our talk about ensuring greater speed in the handling of applications for asylum and getting the period down to three months. It was stated that if we can manage something that concerns people’s lives in three months, surely an application connected to forestry, being something of a less weighty matter, can be addressed with even more dispatch. As I implied, I am very open to hearing the other side of the arguments. There is also a perception concerning broadleaves. The position is right and proper and the schemes now encourage the growing of broadleaves. Obviously, we have to note the colossal damage done by Storm Éowyn.”
“We all tend to see these things from our personal point of view when dealing with them but it may be that, in each and every case, there is a reason. However, it is fair to say that there is a sense on occasion that there is not the flexibility or sense of practicality needed to help things to progress. We are at a point where the expected timeline for an assessment for afforestation is six months, or nine months if there is an ecological aspect. I believe I am correct in saying the latter. Some of my correspondents asked how it will be possible for the State to plant its target of 12,000 ha per year if it is to take six or nine months to get approval. I am not saying there is not another side to these questions but it is important that they be tabled.”
“Another example given to me of an issue that causes frustration concerns where a farmer is told, in respect of a particular project, the county council requires a planning application to be made, whereas the professional involved knows or finds rightly that the council does not want to deal with the issue at all. The professional, as predicted, will say they do not want to deal with the issue at a planning level and urge applying for an exemption, but the farmer might not be able to go for an exemption because he or she will have been told by the inspector that a planning application is required. These are the day-to-day frustrations that arise. In some cases, there can be a very good reason.”
“An example given to me was of somebody putting in an agroforestry application and who needed an assessment. It had to do with the hen harrier. The farmer had to pay €1,000 for an ecologist’s report but then, when the ecologist gave the green light, the farmer failed the assessment because of soil type. Such farmers are left wondering whether they could not have been asked to obtain the ecology report only when it was established that there were no other grounds to fail anyway. When something like what I have described happens, it leaves the person feeling their money and time have been wasted unfairly. The situation is such that the person does not get a refusal but maybe an invitation to plant an alternative type of tree, leaving him or her feeling the whole application is being kept in limbo.”
“When it comes to the administration of bureaucracy in the best sense, there are decisions that have to be made on how tasks and work are apportioned, but can more be done so officials will have what some professionals would describe as a little more ownership of particular applications, be they for felling, roads or afforestation, the result being that those in forestry would deal with the same person constantly when going through the various phases of inquiry? It has also been pointed out to me that some inspectors could be more amenable to landowners or could work with people more, perhaps on preplanning consultations and talking to people in this regard. This is an area that the Minister of State has addressed at Talking Timber and so on.”
“I have heard him speak eloquently about some of the issues. I am speaking now particularly about the world as seen through the lens of people involved in forestry and forestry professionals, who talk genuinely about the bureaucracy. One person said his pet hate is that when dealing with the Department, it is not always the same person who deals with his queries, meaning that each time he has a subsequent query, he must start afresh with a new person, who may have to rehearse or become familiar with the issues all over again.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I welcome his officials. This is an area in which I have a developing interest because I am involved in helping a loved one with a forestry application. In that regard, I thank people for the support I have got. In making inquiries, I was very grateful for the assistance received from the Department. I acknowledge Mr. Delaney in this regard and also the Minister of State. As is often the case when you are more directly involved with a matter, you come to realise the many issues people face. I have had occasion to speak to people in forestry. I thought I would take this opportunity today to put on record some of the concerns I am hearing. I realise the Minister of State is not hearing about them for the first time. Indeed, they are concerns he will be very well aware of.”
“We all know the tragedy which flowed from all that and it can never be forgotten. It was, at the same time, Shakespeare who talked of the good people do often being interred with their bones. Knowing Bishop Comiskey and some of his family members personally, I can say he was a very well loved and lovable person who did an awful lot of good, particularly as an ecumenist, in his role in founding the Christian Media Trust and so on. That is to be remembered today where we have a mature understanding of the undeniable tragedies and failings of the past that can never be denied but also that the good in people should never be forgotten. It is a complex reality and one we must all grapple with. I extend my sympathy to his congregation and family on his sad loss.”
“There are many people searching for meaning and many social challenges in our world in which voices of faith have an important contribution to make. I ask for a debate on this and on whether we could see a renewal of that. Issues like education, human dignity and many things need to be thrashed out and there needs to be much wider consultation. Voices of faith are an important part of the solution to many of the problems we have in our society today. I also wish to briefly mention the death of Bishop Brendan Comiskey, whom I knew personally. I note what Colm O'Gorman had to say this morning in that we all know the catastrophic consequences of the failure of church leaders and other leaders in society in handling properly reports of abuse down through the years.”
“First, I commend our leaders - President Higgins and Mrs. Higgins and our Taoiseach and Tánaiste - on representing our country so well at Pope Francis's funeral. Everybody will agree this was a deeply fascinating pontificate and the late Pope Francis was a voice of conscience on many issues. He made us all, whatever our views, sit up and think on many important issues of the day. Ar dheis Dé go raibh sé. This would be a good opportunity for a revival or to see more of the church-State dialogues that had been going on but which have only really been happening haphazardly in this country. There is great potential in meetings between the Government and the different faith communities, including non-believers. Some steps have been taken on this in recent years but not enough. There are many issues we could make progress on in our society.”
“The question that many people have is whether there is a plan that addresses the personal needs of the people who will be most affected, namely those who will be asked in some cases to leave their accommodation, and whether the effect that this will have on the rental market has been thought through.”
“In the usual Government way, it is presented as this being extended by another year. The bite in it is that there will be a reduction in the monthly payment in a subsequent draft order from €800 to €600. When we consider not just the shelter that Ukrainians had in people's homes and the link with the community, the solidarity and support that this brought them, is there a plan to assist and care for the 37,500 people who have been involved in this, with about 20,000 claims for the payment, in what could be an impending crisis in their lives? I am in touch with owners who are receiving the grant and they say they do not want to turf people out. If they do, those people are going to migrate elsewhere, which will put pressure on the availability of student accommodation in other places.”
“It is one thing if people are depending on broadband for their ordinary entertainment but if they depend on it for their work and business, then it is an even more serious matter. It would be no harm to ask the Minister for communications for an update on this. Is it possible that there are still people without broadband because the necessary repair works have not been done by Eir? As my correspondent puts it, we have been placed in a digital world, but when it fails, no one gives a hoot. She asked me to bring it up and I am happy to do so. I also raise the announcement by the Minister for integration about the extension of the accommodation recognition payment scheme. I have heard from people who are concerned about the impact of this on Ukrainian people who have come to live in homes because people availed of this scheme.”
“I have a few matters I would like to raise with the Leader. He will be very familiar with the place I refer to first. Just seven miles from Galway city, a friend of mine from Corcullen contacted me to ask me to highlight that they have had no broadband service since the storm two months ago. I had to read the message twice to see if this could be true. Many places in the country were not affected or got off lightly but I find it astonishing that there are still people without broadband as a result of the storms, including just 7 km from Galway city in the case of my correspondent. They have been on to Digiweb and various local and public representatives who say that nothing is being done by Eir to replace fallen lines.”
“There needs to be a refocus to reduce abortion, specifically the dangers of basing abortion on a telemedicine model when the HSE has acknowledged that meeting a woman in person increases the likelihood of the provider identifying any coercion or domestic abuse. On maternal mortality, there was a case in a Limerick hospital of a woman who had an abortion via telemedicine, despite the existence of an undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy, and who nearly died because there was no ultrasound. As a matter of informed consent, every woman should be offered an ultrasound, whatever one’s views on the rights or wrongs of abortion. It is a matter of women’s health and the health of their unborn boys and girls. I wish the Minister well. Whatever differences we may have from time to time, I know she engages seriously with people’s ideas.”
“The outcome is more lives being saved. We must not lose sight of that. I really regret though, the impact on women's mental health, particularly women abroad, as a result of the surrogacy legislation that was put through last year by the Minister for Health. When I consider the ruthlessness with which that was put through and the lack of attention to the mental health and other needs of women who are exploited through surrogacy, that is one of the great regrets I have from the previous term. On the troubling issue of abortion, and I will conclude with this, like many other Irish women and men, I am troubled by the rise in Ireland's abortion rates.”
“We cannot just ignore people's statements or decisions on these matters when it does not suit us. We should talk about how we can complement the needs of parents, women and men in the home because a clear message went to the Government at that time. Perhaps it needs to be clarified through debate as to what positive measures could be taken to give effect to the decision to maintain the status quo in that area? In terms of women's health, there are positive and very negative and troubling legacies from the previous Government's endeavours. I welcome, as does everybody else did, the great progress being made in BreastCheck with the mobile screening units and of course the screening units in hospitals. Hopefully, that can be rolled out even more so that more women aged between 50 and 69 can be screened every two years.”
“I will strip it down. I welcome the Minister. I have no doubt of her ability and wish her the very best in the brief. I also thank Senator Stephenson for introducing me to the concept of medical gaslighting. There are several women in my life who like to accuse me from time to time of merely having man flu and I now have the perfect repose. More seriously, I have three points. We should of course have a broader and indeed longer debate covering not just women's health but other issues. Since it is International Women's Day, we need to have that discussion about what did the public say when they said such a resounding "No" last year to the removal of the idea of the mother's particular role and gift to Irish society as set out in the Constitution.”
“The only thing that will override public suspicion about the misspending of taxpayers' money is transparency about what is going on. I would like to ask for a debate about whether we need a Government department-----”
“We all know civil servants are doing great work - or many are - but sometimes we wonder if people are at their desks enough doing the job they are paid to do. Are they reachable by citizens when necessary for services to which citizens are entitled? Is there a cosy consensus between elements in the permanent government and politicians or even between the permanent government and preferred contractors? We have no way of knowing unless whistleblowers come forward. We should welcome any whistleblowing action which exposes any cosy consensus underwritten by unsuspecting taxpayers.”
“When one thinks of recent controversies in Ireland around a shelter, a shed, a wall, an IT contract and most recently the conversation about a scanner in the Arts Council - or across the road, I should say - what all of those things have in common is that they are examples of Government waste and substantial waste at that. It is these stories that have people wondering why they elect politicians in the first place if they will not properly oversee the spending of taxpayers' money. When we have a Government back bench TD warning us that nobody likes new taxes but tough choices are coming, people wonder what is going on. Are we getting value for money? If one pauses to think about it, the questions multiply. Who is looking after the public's money? How can there be no answerability for vast overexpenditure?”
“Following on from what my colleague, Senator McCarthy, said a moment ago, it strikes me that there are so many things coming down the tracks at us from the new Administration in America that it is difficult to know what is going to lead to disaster and what might have a grain of positivity. One thing I am fascinated by, and I think many people in Ireland would be fascinated by, is the idea of a department of government efficiency. Certainly, in the United States it probably has the capacity, depending on how it operates, to do harm to good things but we are already seeing that serious misspending of public money has been exposed over there.”
“If they do not, it may very well disappear in the future. While I am not going to withhold my support from Senator Byrne today as I know her election is a foregone conclusion, I do have a lot of sympathy with what Senator McDowell has said. Like him, I am disgusted with the cynicism, the lip service that is given to the need for parliamentary reform and the disgraceful inaction that follows on from that. I hope we can see some change to that over the next couple of years.”
“We will all have to account to the voters repeatedly over the next few years and the question will be put as to whether the Seanad makes a difference, is worth the expense and is worth keeping, particularly as we face into uncertain times. We will perhaps face into tougher financial times in the future and that question may well be put on the table again. If one believes in democracy, one should believe in the potential of the Seanad to do something vital and indispensable for the legislative process. It is essential that the Government starts to engage with that fact. I urge Government Senators in particular to take that message on board in a serious way and to see that the Seanad cannot be about just nodding through what the Government wants. Those Senators have to stand up for the Seanad and its potential.”
“However, the use and involvement of the party whip in a decision like this signals the sheer disrespect the Government has for the Seanad and its particular potential to be a House where different voices and points of view are heard. It was not that long ago that the people of Ireland were asked to give a judgment on whether the Seanad was needed in our country and whether it should continue to exist. They believed and said it should exist by a narrow enough majority. The consensus at that time, shared by the Government of that time, was that it was not a clear bill of health given by the public to the Seanad but that the vote of the public indicated the desire that the Seanad would continue, but that it would be reformed; certainly in its functions but also, I believe, in the manner of its selection.”
“I agree wholeheartedly with what Senator McDowell has just said. I agree as well that we have two excellent candidates before us and I am convinced that either of them would discharge the duties of Leas-Chathaoirleach not just with diligence and fairness but, indeed, with aplomb. I have no doubt as to the result of this vote today. I am not going to withhold my support from Senator Byrne on her successful and happy day, as I anticipate it will be. That in no sense takes from the regard I have for Senator Flynn or my conviction that she would do an excellent job. I agree with Senator McDowell, however, that it is simply wrong that we are put into this position and that this is yet another horse trading situation - not that there is much trading going on because one side has two thirds of the vote in the House.”
“On another occasion, I would like to return to the legislation I brought forward in the previous Seanad which would require strict age verification by those who provide pornography on the Internet. The Bill in question did not get a favourable response from the Government at the time, but we must be ready to create strict rules that establish safety. We must use the power of legislation to do so rather than Coimisiún na Meán or any other well-intentioned organisations. They will not deal with such problems effectively.”
“While every initiative is to be welcomed, if we just have a plethora of organisations, helplines, hotlines, resources and awareness-raising, we will miss the point that parents are under enormous pressure in respect of this matter. We all know what will happen. No matter how much money is pushed at this, some parents will get the message and take the necessary steps to protect their children while others, due to pressure or other reasons, will simply fall through the net. We should have a debate about what practical and important steps are necessary to promote a better climate for Internet safety for young people. We must not ignore the importance of legislation.”
“A Chathaoirligh agus a Threoraí - ní ceannaire ach Treoraí atá ann - ba bhreá liom cur leis an méid a dúirt an Seanadóir Rabbitte maidir leis an Idirlíon agus cosaint na bpáistí ach go háirithe. Last week, we had Safer Internet Day; it runs for the month of February. While I welcome and agree with what Senator Rabbitte said - and, like her, I commend the initiative taken in Droichead an Chláirín, Clarinbridge - I am concerned that there is a certain "quangoism" involved with this issue. I was listening to Claire Byrne's programme recently and I was struck by what I regard as fatalism around those who are, with the best of intentions, seeking to assist parents and teachers to help young people to navigate the Internet safely.”
“Every life matters regardless of colour, disability, stage of development or capacity. We need to reflect on that if we are to keep our humanity in a time when many people in our world are losing theirs.”
“On a serious note, I think we are all aware, or at least any of us who have been around here in this world for a few decades at all, that the world seems to have problems now that seem to be more serious than the ones we faced just a few decades ago. There are many issues of complexity challenging us in our own country and abroad and we will struggle to come up with answers that are always coherent and always consistent. We will have to balance the national interest at times with major issues of concern and principle. I will say this, however, in response to even some of what has been said already. Unless we proceed from the point of view that every human being has dignity and every life matters, from its very beginnings to its natural end, we will not have the social solidarity we need to go forward and solve our problems together.”
“Famously, Kelvin MacKenzie, the editor of the Sun newspaper, on an occasion when he and a number of his fellow journalists were wined and dined somewhere near Fleet Street by people who wanted to influence their journalism, as the journalists were returning to their offices in what one might describe as an advanced state of refreshment, said to his colleagues, "Now let's go and stun them with our ingratitude." I encourage those Senators who, while they might be grateful to the party hierarchies which contributed greatly to their presence here today, can serve their country very well by at least on occasions stunning people with their ingratitude. The people need fair, independent and fearless representation, and I have every confidence that people will rise to that challenge.”
“That is how we will build our own credibility as politicians and serve the people well. While it is understandable that within parties there has to be a certain coherence to get a budget through and so on, I hope that members of the Government parties in particular will recognise that, as Seanadóirí, they are different. While party leadership might expect a certain blind obedience, if I may put it that way, we will all do better as a country with the big problems we face if the Seanad proves itself capable of saying "No" at times when it needs to say "No".”
“If it is not considered too presumptuous or ungracious of me, I would challenge those Members of political parties in particular to recognise that the Seanad is at its best when it escapes from the tyranny of the Whip system. We saw that last year with the Government's ill-advised and badly conceived referendum proposals, which were defeated by massive majorities. Some of the most significant opposition to those referendum proposals came from a small number of people in this House. It was likewise with the so-called hate speech legislation, and credit to Lisa Chambers, who stepped outside of the party groupthink to recognise there were points being made here, particularly but not exclusively by Independent Senators, which simply were not ventilated in the Dáil.”
“I think it would be go mór chun leas na tíre dá mbeadh vóta ag gach saoránach ar bhonn chóras liosta - if there was a list system on a nationwide basis whereby people could vote for the set of ideas or the philosophical approach to politics that most suits their preferences and that, within voting for such a list, people could then vote for the person they wish to see elected from it. It is a system that has worked very well on the Continent. It would contrast well with the Dáil with its more local representation. I think we all accept that there should be no confusion as to the distinctness of the Seanad and the Dáil both in the way they are elected and the way they perform their functions.”
“I wish to build on something my friend and colleague Senator McDowell said about Seanad reform. I agree with much of what he said. I disagree about the proposition that the reform to the election of the Seanad should come from within the current constitutional structure. I have long been of the view that we should have a list system even if that means we no longer have graduate-elected Seanadóirí, councillor-elected Seanadóirí or Seanadóirí who come from a constituency of one by way of a Taoiseach's appointment.”
“It occurred to me that if one adds up all the different people from all the different counties here today, it seems to come to much more than 60, which baffles me somewhat. As a Galway man, I take this opportunity - the House will understand why - to express sympathy to the family of Michael Coleman, a great Galway hurler who died unexpectedly and tragically in recent days, and a man from my neighbouring county, Councillor Anthony Waldron, whom many Members knew. I see quite a few people here today whom I voted for and a few others whom I promised to vote for. Nílim ach ag magadh.”
“Tréaslaím leis an gCathaoirleach as an éacht seo, a bheith tofa an athuair mar Chathaoirleach ar Sheanad Éireann. Déanaim comhghairdeas le gach duine atá tofa don Teach seo. Is léir go bhfuil éagsúlacht againn ó thaobh cúlra agus na scileanna éagsúla atá ag daoine. Táim thar a bheith dóchasach go mbeidh díospóireachtaí maithe againn chun leas na tíre amach anseo. I thank and welcome the Cathaoirleach, congratulate him on his second appointment as Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann and wish him continued success in the role as he has had before. I welcome the family members of new Members here today and the new Members in particular. It is clear that we have once again great variety and diversity in the Seanad. I am very proud to be one of the super representation from County Galway in the Chamber.”