Results 661-680 of 873 for speaker:Averil Power

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2012)

Averil Power: I move amendment No. 11:In page 6, between lines 45 and 46, to insert the following:?(6) The post of Director for Mental Health shall be a publicly advertised position, subject to strict criteria.?.The amendment has two purposes. The first is to ensure that one of the directors appointed will be a director for mental health. The second is to address, in the context of the mental health...

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2012)

Averil Power: I welcome the commitment given by Minister that on withdrawal of my amendment he will seek further advice on it. I appreciate that he probably needs to take a timeout with his officials and to think it through with a cool head. I can resubmit my amendment on Report Stage. The deletion still gives the Minister the discretion that he needs because it leaves him with the overall powers. I...

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2012)

Averil Power: I move amendment No. 3: In page 4, paragraph (c), between lines 36 and 37, to insert the following:?(8) The Director General shall publish any reports presented by the Executive to the Minister concerning its compliance with a Ministerial Direction.?.

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2012)

Averil Power: I move amendment No. 4: In page 4, lines 41 and 42, to delete all words from and including ?priorities? in line 41 down to and including ?service? in line 42 and substitute the following:?priorities in accordance with which the Executive shall prepare its service?.The intention behind section 6 is to strengthen the accountability of the HSE to its service delivery. It provides for the HSE to...

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2012)

Averil Power: I explained the rationale behind amendment No. 4 in my opening address. We are discussing the amendments together and the Minister gave his position on amendments Nos. 4 and 21 to 24, inclusive. All of the amendments are structured in the same way. They are about changing terminology and using stronger wording. Amendment No. 21 wishes to substitute the words "is consistent with" with...

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2012)

Averil Power: I move amendment No. 2: In page 4, to delete lines 24 to 27.I welcome the Minister to the House. My colleague, Senator Marc MacSharry, spokesperson on health, will give the Fianna Fáil position on the Bill as a whole and propose a range of amendments to improve it. I want to speak to my amendments which seek to ensure greater accountability within the health service for mental health, in...

Seanad: Thirty-First Amendment of the Constitution (Children) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (3 Oct 2012)

Averil Power: I agree with the point the Minister made about the voice of the child, which is a significant issue. I welcome the insertion of the new provision that the views of the child will not only be ascertained during judicial proceedings but will be given due weight. Often the courts listen to what children have to say but there is little evidence their views are considered or given any real...

Seanad: Thirty-First Amendment of the Constitution (Children) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (3 Oct 2012)

Averil Power: The Minister is very welcome to the House. I support comments made by other colleagues in that I consider this wording as a very careful balance. We must all be conscious of the fact that it has been worked on at Cabinet level only during the past year and a half. It is very similar to the wording agreed before the election by the previous Cabinet which was brought to that point after more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Budget 2013: Discussion with Minister for Social Protection (26 Sep 2012)

Averil Power: I apologise to the Minister in advance if I do not return to hear her responses to members' questions. However, I will read the transcript of the proceedings. I would like to raise a number of issues, the first of which is consistency across Departments in terms of the impact and cost on the social welfare programme as a result of changes being made in other Departments, in particular, the...

Seanad: Homophobic Bullying: Statements (25 Sep 2012)

Averil Power: I thank the Minister of State. I welcome both her contribution and that Members specifically are debating homophobic bullying today. Although they have had debates in the past on mental health and bullying in general, as the Minister of State has pointed out, while all young people are at risk of bullying and intimidation in schools, young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, LGBT,...

Seanad: Homophobic Bullying: Statements (25 Sep 2012)

Averil Power: I thank the Minister of State. I welcome both her contribution and that Members specifically are debating homophobic bullying today. Although they have had debates in the past on mental health and bullying in general, as the Minister of State has pointed out, while all young people are at risk of bullying and intimidation in schools, young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, LGBT,...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Sports Capital Programme Applications (19 Sep 2012)

Averil Power: I thank the Minister of State for his reply and unscripted remarks. I pretty much expected to hear everything that is contained in his script, but I was not aware of his passion for sailing and his commitment to opening up the position on water sports. I was delighted by what he said in that regard. Would it be possible for him to give an indication of the timescale involved? I gather...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Sports Capital Programme Applications (19 Sep 2012)

Averil Power: I thank the Minister of State.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Sports Capital Programme Applications (19 Sep 2012)

Averil Power: The Minister of State is very welcome. Sailing was one of the great success stories for Ireland in the London Olympic Games, with eight Irish competitors taking part. Annalise Murphy, a 22-year-old student, put in the best performance of the lot. Indeed, she put in the best performance for an Irish sailor since the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. I raise this issue with the Minister to put the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Budget 2013: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (19 Sep 2012)

Averil Power: Will the Minister ensure he gets legal advice from the Attorney General as to his potential liability on this ground?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Budget 2013: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (19 Sep 2012)

Averil Power: I thank the Minister for his presentation and for appearing before the joint committee so far in advance of the budget. I appreciate that he has a difficult job to do. Responsibility for protecting education should not be solely the task of the Minister but should extend to everyone who sits around the Cabinet table because the impact of some cuts in the Department are felt across other...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Budget 2013: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (19 Sep 2012)

Averil Power: One of the questions I posed before other Deputies came in was on the same issue. Can I ask a question? Chairman: The Deputy is on the list for questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Budget 2013: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (19 Sep 2012)

Averil Power: With respect, it is not the Deputy's job to decide what the Minister will answer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Budget 2013: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (19 Sep 2012)

Averil Power: I have no difficulty with that. I want to be sure of the protocol. If we are grouping questions together then that is fair enough.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Budget 2013: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (19 Sep 2012)

Averil Power: I have no difficulty waiting ten minutes to ask my question. I just want to ensure that I will not be told at that stage that the issue has been dealt with.