Results 581-600 of 873 for speaker:Averil Power

Seanad: Situation in Middle East and Ukraine: Statements (27 Nov 2014)

Averil Power: I thank the Minister for his response. The article published in The Irish Timesyesterday refers to action by the European Union. Apart from products from Israeli settlements, does the Minister have any other actions in mind? To what specific actions was he referring?

Seanad: Situation in Middle East and Ukraine: Statements (27 Nov 2014)

Averil Power: The Minister invited questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Online Learning at University: Discussion (3 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. I have a few questions to pick up, in a little more detail, on some of the issues others have raised. In the opening presentation, Professor Brown said 3% is the current figure on online earning. Does he have a breakdown of the number of those which are part-time and which are full-time courses? One of the biggest difficulties with part-time...

Seanad: Restructuring of Pensions at Aer Lingus: Statements (10 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: How many were targeted deliberately by the Government?

Seanad: Restructuring of Pensions at Aer Lingus: Statements (10 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: How many had legislation introduced to-----

Seanad: Restructuring of Pensions at Aer Lingus: Statements (10 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: I also think it is absolutely extraordinary that in the week when a resolution for the Waterford Wedgewood workers has finally been achieved, members of the IASS scheme are in a worse position than the Waterford Wedgewood staff. It is ridiculous that the Waterford Wedgewood staff had to fight for so long to get their entitlements respected but it seems that the only way members of the IASS...

Seanad: Restructuring of Pensions at Aer Lingus: Statements (10 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: It doubled in two years. The Government Members do not want to hear.

Seanad: Restructuring of Pensions at Aer Lingus: Statements (10 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: The reality is that the deficit has doubled in two years. Of course, there is a longer term background to that and the scheme is in difficulty, as are many other schemes. Anybody in any other company in a similar situation should be very worried about what is happening because the Government has set a template through this legislation to ride roughshod over people's private pension...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Information and Communications Technology (10 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: I have tabled this matter to highlight the need for a proper digital ICT strategy for schools. When will the Government ensure that all primary schools are connected to high-speed broadband? When will the Government ensure that all schools, both primary and post-primary, have access to the equipment they need, curriculum relevant content and training for teachers? I welcome the fact that...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Information and Communications Technology (10 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: I thank the Minister of State for his reply, but wish to stress that this strategy should be published as a matter of urgency. I have one final issue, namely, the price of e-books, that he might take up with the Minister, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan. It is bizarre that an e-book costs more than the paper book, even though the latter has to be printed, distributed and sold in shops, while an e-book...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (11 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: I second the recommendation. When the change to the lone-parent credit was being discussed in the House initially, we outlined many of these arguments and I do not want to go over them again. Where parents are sharing responsibility, they need to run two separate households. Even if a father or mother has a child for just the weekend rather than the rest of the week, he or she still needs...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: I second the recommendation. We all have experience, as I am sure the Minister of State and other Members of the House do, of people getting in touch with us who experience extraordinarily long delays in getting an initial decision on their application and then an appeal. The motion proposes 60 days or two months which should be long enough. It is extraordinarily unfair when people end up...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: I will begin by addressing recommendation No. 8, which is the crux of the issue in terms of the IASS and other schemes, namely, the single insolvency situation. As Senator O'Brien said, it stems from the legislation the Minister brought through the House which we opposed at the time, namely, the Social Welfare Bill. The OECD has made a recommendation that a defined benefit pension scheme...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: The Tánaiste talks for half an hour and then she leaves the House.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: I will be brief as we want to push this matter to a vote. I am sorry the Tánaiste is not here to engage with us but I appreciate the Minister of State, Deputy Humphreys, has come back to the House. While I do not know if it was deliberate, in her brief remarks before she left, the Tánaiste completely missed the point we were trying to make when she said it was a matter for the...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: I am sure the record will show his remarks as he left the House. He walked out in protest when the Tánaiste left without responding and he stated that as he was leaving.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: I am sorry, a Chathaoirleach. I am sure the record will reflect Senator Conway's remarks. I am sure there are others on the Government side who, like Senator Conway, believe this is wrong. What we are asking them to do is to stand with us on these amendments, do the right thing and do what is fair and just. They should ask themselves how they would feel if they or anyone in their family...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: I take the point the Minister is trying to make, which is that while the courts are dealing with the proceedings of a case, legislation cannot be changed to affect the outcome of the case. It is a genuine point and I would certainly support it, but I wonder whether the Minister might consider that what he has put forward is incredibly broad. I did not realise this is what it meant. It is...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: I understand this, but the Minister has explained the purpose of the amendment is to deal with court cases. He also stated there are things he has not thought of which we have not thought of that could be covered by it. This gives me the same concern as Senator Byrne as to whether there is an issue with regard to the legislation which is not clear to us, and the Minister or his officials...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2014)

Averil Power: I move amendment No. 2: In page 4, between lines 23 and 24, to insert the following:“4. The Minister shall, by 15 January 2015, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas setting out his proposals to address the backlog in NCT testing to ensure that people are not unfairly penalised with penalty points because they could not get an appointment for an NCT test within a reasonable...