Results 781-800 of 873 for speaker:Averil Power

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: I explained this to the Clerk of the Seanad prior to the debate because what we propose is somewhat complicated. There are 11 amendments to Government amendment No. 13, and amendment No. 14 is an alternative to amendment No. 13. We are, in effect, proposing to discuss 13 different issues which have been grouped together for the purpose of this debate. We are simply proposing that Members,...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: We want to explain what we are proposing to assist other Members in understanding the matter. We propose to debate amendment No. 14 first and when we proceed to amendment No. 13 and the 11 amendments to that amendment, we would debate them in six different sections. We would begin with amendments No. 1 to 3, inclusive, because they relate to the public-private distinction, followed by...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: ----- amendments Nos. 5 and 10, which provide for an employee's privacy, No. 8 in respect of marriage and No. 9. We are asking Members to make their contributions in a logical and structured fashion. It would be ridiculous if I was to speak about amendment No. 3 and another Member spoke about No. 3 or No. 9.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: We ought to deal with them in a sensible way.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: No. 14.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: After No. 14, we would debate the 11 amendments to amendment No. 13 in the following order: amendments Nos. 1 and 3; amendments Nos. 2 and 6; amendments Nos. 4 and 11; amendments Nos. 5 and 10; amendments Nos. 8; and amendments Nos. 9.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: As most of them are my amendments, when I rise to propose one I will be clear about the grouping being discussed.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: Amendments Nos. 5 and 10 are grouped together because they relate to employee privacy. Amendment No. 6 is with amendment No. 2.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: Amendment No. 7 is in my name but I will not be moving it because is sufficiently addressed in the Government's Report Stage amendments. That is why I did not mention it.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: I will formally move amendment No. 1 to amendment No. 13 and we will then discuss the amendments in order.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: I wish to move amendments Nos. 1 to 11, inclusive, to amendment No. 13 and the ghost amendments Nos. 12 and 13.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: I move amendment No. 1 to Government amendment No. 13: In the text proposed to be inserted by paragraph (b), to delete "(1A) Where an educational or medical institution referred to in subsection (1) is maintained, in whole or in part, by monies provided by the Oireachtas, more favourable treatment on the religion ground referred to in paragraph (a) of that subsection" and substitute the...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: I support where Senator Zappone is coming from in that, ideally, I would prefer to see section 37(1) deleted rather than amended. I know the Minister of State will say that his legal advice is that this is not possible. I brought forward the first Bill on this issue in 2012 and I must be honest and say that the legal advice I received was that the best we could do was amend it and that it...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: This has been a useful debate. It is useful to have that discussion about the broader context in which we operate here and I agree with much of what the Minister of State stated in that respect. I share the concerns that have been outlined about the distinction in the Bill between public and private organisations which is an unjustified one, the lack of protection on the religious ground...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: While I must accept reluctantly that the Government has been advised not to proceed with the deletion route, as I said, I was given that same advice when I prepared my former party's 2012 Bill, I have to accept that is our starting point. However, the Minister of State could go much further and he could tighten up the language a good deal. I would like to get to the point where we can...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: Amendments Nos. 1 and 3 to amendment No. 13 are designed to remove the distinction in the text of the current wording from the Government between public and private institutions. Essentially, they would mean that the tougher conditions in subsections (1)(a) to (1)(c) would apply to all religious educational and medical institutions with the religious ethos covered by subsection (1) whether...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: I respectfully remind Members that we had agreed to discuss amendments Nos. 1 and 3, on the distinction made in the legislation between public and private institutions. I am eager to hear the Minister of State's response on that and if he will accept-----

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: It is an interesting debate and I will be more than happy to give my two cent worth on another occasion, but we have been here for an hour and three quarters and we are still on the first amendment. We have several other amendments and a number of very serious issues to discuss. With respect to the people in the Gallery, who have come from GLEN, the INTO group and others who are here today-----

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: It would be useful for us to have a discussion on the individual amendments and to focus our attention on trying to improve the legislation before us as much as possible. Perhaps on another day we could have statements on the broader issues.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Averil Power: In his response the Minister of State referred to the Irish Constitution and competing constitutional rights between equality, the individual's right to earn a livelihood, to privacy and other personal rights an individual has as an employee or potential employee, and the right to freedom of religion under Article 44. EU law supersedes our Constitution. That includes the directive I...