Results 21-40 of 881 for speaker:Peter Power

Class Sizes: Motion. (26 Apr 2005)

Peter Power: Hear, hear.

Class Sizes: Motion (Resumed). (27 Apr 2005)

Peter Power: I propose to share time with Deputies Nolan, O'Connor and Michael Moynihan.

Class Sizes: Motion (Resumed). (27 Apr 2005)

Peter Power: Unfortunately, there is nobody on the Opposition benches — nobody from any party other than my party — to engage in this debate. Although you cannot make a judgment on that, we all agree it is unfortunate the party proposing the motion and the parties supporting and speaking in favour of it are not here to listen to some opposing views in defence of the Government's long, proud record on...

Class Sizes: Motion (Resumed). (27 Apr 2005)

Peter Power: I compliment Deputy O'Sullivan and the Labour Party for proposing this motion. The discussion is timely. Any time is a good time to discuss education. There is a much greater appreciation and understanding now for the importance of education in people's lives and in the development of young people's lives, and for the importance of education in developing a good, long-term career. That is why...

Class Sizes: Motion (Resumed). (27 Apr 2005)

Peter Power: We need more schools.

Class Sizes: Motion (Resumed). (27 Apr 2005)

Peter Power: I acknowledge Deputy Finian McGrath's interest and expertise in this area. As an objective observer, however, I suggest that the proper debate would be to ask whether we should have more classes, before we debate how many people should be in them.

Class Sizes: Motion (Resumed). (27 Apr 2005)

Peter Power: I fervently believe, and have done for a long time, that before we ask whether the ratio should be 10:1, 20:1 or 30:1, or whether the class size is 25 on average, we should have a debate on other issues such as the built environment and the quality of the environment in which teachers teach. Let us not get away from the reality that we are in the middle of the largest, most sustained period...

Class Sizes: Motion (Resumed). (27 Apr 2005)

Peter Power: I accept that. It is one of the last points that it contains. I will make one final point, and I am delighted that Deputy Enright is here to listen to it. Her colleague, Deputy English, made a point about this last night, and he produced a whole pile of figures to support his argument, which I doubted at the time, and about which I questioned him in the Chamber. He suggested that the last...

Public Expenditure: Motion. (17 May 2005)

Peter Power: Hear, hear.

Public Expenditure: Motion (Resumed). (18 May 2005)

Peter Power: In the limited available to me I will focus on just one aspect of the Labour Party motion which alleges major cost overruns in the roads element of the national development plan. It is no coincidence that the motion was tabled one week after the broadcast of a "Prime Time Investigates" programme on public expenditure. It is unfortunate that the motion is predicated on the programme as it can...

Public Expenditure: Motion (Resumed). (18 May 2005)

Peter Power: I will not blame the Labour Party for that because I accept the significant difficulties associated with preparing such estimates.

Public Expenditure: Motion (Resumed). (18 May 2005)

Peter Power: In any event, such estimates have little relevance in the Government's decision to proceed. Many accusations were made about the over-design of roads projects, especially the provision of over-capacity. I cannot accept this argument. I do not know of any road built in the last 40 years that has too much capacity; the country is littered with examples to the contrary. Only this morning, the...

Services for People with Disabilities. (24 May 2005)

Peter Power: In January 2004, a state-of-the-art six-unit residential complex, custom-built to cater for young Limerick people with moderate to severe mental handicaps, was completed at St. Vincent's, Lisnagry, County Limerick, at a cost of €4.25 million. It remains closed one and a half years later. Tonight, the Department of Health and Children stands indicted for failing to provide the staff to...

Aer Lingus: Motion (Resumed). (25 May 2005)

Peter Power: In the very limited time available to me I wish to identify a central weakness of the argument in Sinn Féin's motion. It fails dismally to recognise the environment in which Aer Lingus and the aviation sector operates and where the only constant is constant change. Neither the motion nor any of the speakers referred to the fact it is the most cyclical of all international business. They do...

Morris Tribunal: Motion (Resumed). (22 Jun 2005)

Peter Power: I thank my colleagues for sharing their time with me. It is appropriate to discuss the connection between the Morris report and the Garda Síochána Bill in the context of this motion. We had debates in the House on both but it is appropriate that we are allowed and enabled to debate both together. In that respect I welcome the Private Members' motion tabled by the Labour Party. Nobody in...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (28 Sep 2005)

Peter Power: Question 222: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the reform programme and specific actions which she will undertake arising out of the report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children in relation to the orthodontic services here published in June 2005; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26065/05]

Written Answers — Afforestation Programme: Afforestation Programme (4 Oct 2005)

Peter Power: Question 179: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food her views on the outcome of the agreement on the forestry element of the new rural development regulation achieved in 2005. [26159/05]

Written Answers — Food Labelling: Food Labelling (4 Oct 2005)

Peter Power: Question 188: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the progress on the introduction of a voluntary labelling system for meat used in the restaurant and catering sector. [26157/05]

Criminal Justice Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (18 Oct 2005)

Peter Power: In the limited time available, I want to deal with four issues in the Criminal Justice Bill: the lenient sentencing in sexual offences; gang crime; the law relating to DNA evidence; and anti-social behaviour orders. The law relating to sentencing in sexual cases is unduly lenient. I have long held the view that there should be much harsher, severe and punitive sentencing for sexual offences....

Criminal Justice Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (18 Oct 2005)

Peter Power: The Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights recently issued a very interesting report on community policing.