Results 261-280 of 873 for speaker:Averil Power

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Parking Regulations (14 Feb 2013)

Averil Power: I have a brief observation.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Parking Regulations (14 Feb 2013)

Averil Power: The reality of the impact is understood by local businesses, who must live with the reality of other extra charges placed on them. There is a genuine fear about the issue and I am not raising it for any reason other than they are worried that business will be lost.

Seanad: Magdalen Laundries Report: Statements (27 Feb 2013)

Averil Power: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and commend her personal commitment to this issue over many years. She is the right person, given that commitment, to discuss this issue with us in the House. The Taoiseach spoke for all of us last week when he apologised unreservedly to the women incarcerated in the Magdalen laundries for the hurt done to them and the stigma they suffered. I was...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Equality Legislation (28 Feb 2013)

Averil Power: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. This time last year Fianna Fáil published the Employment Equality (Amendment) Bill 2012, which was designed to end the situation whereby under Irish law religious-run institutions may be able to discriminate against employees, or potential employees, solely on the grounds of their being lesbian, gay, bisexual, an unmarried mother, separated,...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Equality Legislation (28 Feb 2013)

Averil Power: I acknowledge that the Minister of State is responding to the issue on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, who is not here today. I am disappointed to learn that developing proposals in the area is still contingent on the merger of the equality bodies, as that is proceeding at such a slow pace. The word "shortly" has been used many times in the past year...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Education Budget: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (6 Mar 2013)

Averil Power: I apologise for my absence earlier - I was detained at the same vote in the Seanad. I know the Minister has referred to other issues in respect of DEIS schools. Is the Department of Education and Skills doing anything to establish a better link with the Department of Health on the services provided in those areas? Some of the disadvantaged schools in Darndale have highlighted that they...

Seanad: Education and Training Boards Bill 2012: Second Stage (7 Mar 2013)

Averil Power: I welcome the Minister to the House. I will begin where he finished, by acknowledging the great deal of work that has gone into the legislation through consultation. This has been very positive and is reflected in the wording before us today. Fianna Fáil supports the Bill, and we started the process of rationalising and streamlining the sector when we were in government. We very much...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Youth Services (7 Mar 2013)

Averil Power: I welcome the Minister of State. I raise this matter because the Department of Children and Youth Affairs is currently considering proposals from the City of Dublin Youth Services Board on the funding for youth work services announced in the last budget. I want to draw the Minister of State's attention to the devastating impact the proposed cuts will have on youth services. I would like...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Youth Services (7 Mar 2013)

Averil Power: The Minister of State said that the Department is considering the proposals that have been made by the City of Dublin Youth Services Board. I sought a debate on this matter to ask for the whole approach to be reconsidered in that context. One of the problems is that greater cuts will be imposed on some projects than on others, as the Minister of State mentioned. The VECs and the City of...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (13 Mar 2013)

Averil Power: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and welcome that Members today are taking another important step towards the achievement of real equality in Ireland. I join Senators Bacik and Moran in welcoming to the Visitors Gallery people from groups that have worked for a long time to achieve the end to the discrimination under discussion today. It is hard to believe that in 2013, a person...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Delivering Third Level Education Online: Discussion with Hibernia College and Schoolbag (13 Mar 2013)

Averil Power: I thank the delegates for their presentation. I had the benefit of a briefing from Hibernia College last year and as a result I asked the committee to invite the delegates to attend today. It has been a very interesting discussion. In my view, e-learning has massive potential as an education system in general. We have been overly conservative in our attitude to e-learning. The delegates...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Delivering Third Level Education Online: Discussion with Hibernia College and Schoolbag (13 Mar 2013)

Averil Power: The college does some undergraduate programmes and I was wondering if the profile of students on the undergraduate courses is similar or different.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Delivering Third Level Education Online: Discussion with Hibernia College and Schoolbag (13 Mar 2013)

Averil Power: I thank Mr. McMahon for his opening presentation. I apologise in advance, as I will need to leave this meeting shortly to attend another appointment. I met Mr. McMahon last year and discussed this in detail. It is a really interesting initiative for students to be able to have all that content there and also for parents. In this day and age we need to move away from homework journals and...

Seanad: Education and Training Boards Bill 2012: Committee Stage (26 Mar 2013)

Averil Power: I move amendment No. 2: In page 28, subsection (1)(c), line 18, after "is" to insert ", at the time of appointment,".Both amendment No. 2 and the corresponding amendment which follows on from it, amendment No. 8, relate to the current wording which provides that a parent, once his or her eldest child reaches the age of 18 and is no longer in an education facility, should no longer be a member...

Seanad: Education and Training Boards Bill 2012: Committee Stage (26 Mar 2013)

Averil Power: I appreciate the Minister's willingness to look at each of our amendments before Report Stage. On that basis, we will not push them today. As regards the local ballot, the Minister is right to say that immediately after the local elections, in the summer, would not necessarily be the best time of year for parents. That is why we need to think this through on all sides of the House before...

Seanad: Education and Training Boards Bill 2012: Committee Stage (26 Mar 2013)

Averil Power: It was included.

Seanad: Education and Training Boards Bill 2012: Committee Stage (26 Mar 2013)

Averil Power: I welcome the Minister's invitation for us to make proposals before Report Stage. Senator Wilson and I will discuss this and come forward with something before Report Stage to address all of these issues, to find the most democratic way possible of electing the parent representative.

Seanad: Education and Training Boards Bill 2012: Committee Stage (26 Mar 2013)

Averil Power: I move amendment No. 3: In page 28, subsection (1)(d), line 25, after ?subsection (9)? to insert the following: ?, at least two of whom shall be representative of learners?.This is an important amendment. Of the 21 members of the education and training boards, at least two should be representatives of learners. When the Seanad discussed the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education...

Seanad: Education and Training Boards Bill 2012: Committee Stage (26 Mar 2013)

Averil Power: I can see that the Minister is reluctant to increase the membership further, given that we have already increased the number of councillors since the first draft. Again, however, I would generally make the point that if there are 21 people, there should be a second representative for learners. I take the Minister's point that we have gone from 18 to 21 already and he was prepared to make...

Seanad: Education and Training Boards Bill 2012: Committee Stage (26 Mar 2013)

Averil Power: I welcome the amendment, which takes the correct approach. When I read through the Bill, it was clear that it had carefully provided for gender quotas in other aspects of the election, but there was a glaring gap in respect of local authority elections. The Minister is taking the right approach and his amendment is preferable to the amendment tabled by Senators Bacik and Moran, although I...