Results 741-760 of 873 for speaker:Averil Power
- Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: I move amendment No. 33: In page 26, between lines 13 and 14, to insert the following: "(e ) Once the number of women elected to Dáil Ãireann reaches at least 40 per cent of the total number of TDs elected in one general election and remains at that level following the next two general elections, the gender-related criteria for State funding to political parties set out in this Act shall no...
- Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: The inside panels are those where we are nominated by other Members from within the House. There is a different system for the-----
- Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: Senator Rónán Mullen is no longer with us. I concur with the response Senator Ivana Bacik gave at the time. Senator Rónán Mullen stated voters elected whomever they wanted to elect. Frankly, they do not. I think it shows an extraordinary misunderstanding of the political process. Voters select candidates from the list of persons they are given. As Senator Ivana Bacik pointed out, in...
- Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: Depending on to whom the Minister was speaking.
- Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: As Senator Paul Bradford pointed out, at least one third of Members are elected through the vocational panels and nominated directly by political parties because of the mechanism in place. Within each of the five panels one third of those elected must be nominated by the nominating bodies and one third must be nominated through the Oireachtas. There is a large number of persons elected to...
- Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: I will not press the amendments we have tabled, as we will retable them on Report Stage.
- Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: I will not press any of the remaining amendments as I would like to revisit them before Report Stage. However, it would be helpful to hear the Minister's views on them in order that we can have a more informed debate next week. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
- Seanad: Local Authority Housing (23 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: As the Minister is aware, more than four months have passed since the Priory Hall residents were forced to evacuate their homes as a result of a dangerous fire risk. Four months have passed since I raised their plight with the Minister in the House but there is still no sign of a long-term solution to their housing problems. In the short term the residents face the prospect of having to pay...
- Seanad: Local Authority Housing (23 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: In regard to the Minister's suggestion that some kind of legal impediment may prevent him from meeting the residents, the residents themselves are not party to the court case. They are unfortunate bystanders to this debacle. Nobody is asking him to intervene in the court proceedings. I have sought legal advice on the issue from experts in constitutional law and have been informed there is...
- Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: There is no doubt that 30%, or three out of ten, is a small amount. The problem is that we are starting at 15% and trying to double that. While that is a marginal level of progress, it will be a significant challenge. I welcome the legislation, but my concern is that we should not only ensure that 30% of candidates are women, but that we should ensure that percentage is elected. The real...
- Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: I said I would rather see us exceed 30% than fall below 40%.
- Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: I welcome the Minister to the House. Fianna Fáil accepts that the Bill is a major step forward and is an improvement on the current position. It provides for lower donation limits and increased transparency but it does not go far enough. We would like corporate donations banned completely but we accept there may be constitutional issues which must be examined. That is why in the Bill we...
- Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: The party introduced a Bill prior to leaving government.
- Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: I welcome the Minister's assurance that he will bring forward a Bill to address the expenditure side. That is a huge part of the issue and is part of the problem Senator Mullen is alluding to, namely, they spend as much as they wish. I disagree with Senator Mullen in respect of having an upper limit for personal donations because that means that people with wealthy friends they can collect...
- Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: To respond to Senator Cullinane, other parties did not have access to a vault full of sterling from the Northern Bank. With respect, we should all be fair.
- Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: I accept the view of the Garda SÃochána.
- Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: While breaches of ethics have been associated with most parties, and the Moriarty report does not concern ours, I accept that our party has been associated with some of the worst of them. As a young member of the party, it is something of which I am deeply ashamed, and I have been vocal about that on many occasions outside the House. That is the reason I would prefer an absolute ban. From...
- Seanad: University Rankings (9 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: Is the Minister of State taking the remaining two Adjournment matters as well?
- Seanad: University Rankings (9 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: Then he will be here for a while.
- Seanad: Ábhair Oidí (9 Feb 2012)
Averil Power: I thank the Minister of State for dealing with all four Adjournment matters.