Results 21-40 of 873 for speaker:Averil Power

Seanad: Electoral Amendment Bill 2011: Committee Stage (21 Jul 2011)

Averil Power: I was Fianna Fáil spokesperson on political reform during the general election campaign. I noted on the doorsteps and in national debates that there was much focus on political reform with all parties publishing proposals. Like never before, people actually engaged with this topic with calls for real change. Many people said to me the problems over the past several years came down to the...

Seanad: Electoral Amendment Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Jul 2011)

Averil Power: I wish to draw attention to the fact that we are due to conclude our deliberations in 17 minutes. Three parties in the House have tabled important amendments in respect of constituency sizes. In such circumstances, I encourage Senators to be brief in order that we might reach those amendments.

Seanad: Business of Seanad. (21 Jul 2011)

Averil Power: I thank Senator Cummins.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (21 Jul 2011)

Averil Power: The amendments propose to change the size of constituencies. Senator Cullinane spoke in general about proportionality and stated the effort to achieve a greater balance is assisted by having larger constituencies. I want to approach the issue from a different angle, namely, with a view to improving female representation in the Dáil. As Members are aware, Ireland has one of the worst...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (21 Jul 2011)

Averil Power: Returning to an issue on which Senator Mooney touched in terms of the difficulty of getting women involved, particularly the double burden for women who are working hard at a career, be it politics or business, and also having a family, there is quite interesting work being done on that in the corporate field. McKinsey & Company conducted a study on women and men who had achieved...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (21 Jul 2011)

Averil Power: To respond to the comments of the Minister of State, one of the country's foremost and well-respected experts on electoral systems, Professor David Farrell of UCD, made the point that an increase in district magnitude would lead to improvements in women's representation. Fiona Buckley of UCC, who specialises in women in politics, has made similar arguments. A report was also published in...

Seanad: Order of Business. (14 Sep 2011)

Averil Power: Will the Leader arrange for the Minister for Education and Skills to come to the House to discuss the outrageous proposals to increase class sizes for primary school pupils? I ask Members on this side of House to object to the idea that such a proposal would even be contemplated. Such proposals were put by officials to the previous Government and rejected outright when our four year plan...

Seanad: Health Facilities (14 Sep 2011)

Averil Power: The statistics on eating disorders in Ireland are alarming. According to the mental health strategy, A Vision for Change, up to 200,000 people may be affected by eating disorders and an estimated 400 new cases emerge each year. There are, however, fewer than 20 beds available to treat patients with eating disorders between St. John of God Hospital, St. Patrick's Hospital and St. Vincent's...

Seanad: Health Facilities (14 Sep 2011)

Averil Power: I thank the Minister of State for his genuine and honest comments and for the work he has been doing on this issue. Ms Teresa Moorhead told me that the Minister of State has been supporting this facility for a long time. I hope he can convince his colleagues that it needs assistance. Ms Moorhead has told me that it could be closed by Christmas. I hope he can convince his colleagues to...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill, 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Sep 2011)

Averil Power: Fianna Fáil supports this Bill. In fact, it is delivering on a commitment we set out in Government to amalgamate the various qualifications and quality assurance bodies. It has the potential to be a hugely positive development for many of the reasons the Minister set out in his opening address and it will make it possible to pool the experiences and expertise the various bodies have built...

Seanad: Address by President of the Irish Human Rights Commission (28 Sep 2011)

Averil Power: I thank Dr. Manning for his address. It has been a good opportunity for Senators to raise a wide range of different human rights issues. I would like to hear his view on an important issue in the education system, namely, the role education has in promoting understanding and respect between children of different faiths and cultures. Over the past ten to 15 years an increasing number of...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Sep 2011)

Averil Power: Senator Barrett raised the issue of the qualifications of mathematics teachers. I agree fully that all teachers should be highly qualified in their subjects. However, merely looking at academic qualifications does not give one the full picture. The Minister is taking an extremely simplistic and ill-thought out approach to this important issue in education. We need to look at the results...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Sep 2011)

Averil Power: It is the only one that has been spoken about.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Sep 2011)

Averil Power: When they went to the schools, they did not look at anything else. They only asked: "what are the qualifications?" I agree that it is an issue-----

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Sep 2011)

Averil Power: I agree fully agree that it is an important issue, but it is not the only one. Everybody knows that the education system is broader and that one cannot merely look at one symptom and assume that it is the outcome of a particular issue. One needs to look at all of the symptoms and diagnose the problem properly, particularly when it is so acute. Because it is important to do so, I draw the...

Seanad: Youth Services (29 Sep 2011)

Averil Power: I urge the Government to provide the same level of funding for the City of Dublin Youth Service Board as it has done heretofore in order that it can continue to support the Sphere 17 Regional Youth Service. The project is based in Darndale and covers the entire area of Dublin 17, including Priorswood and Coolock, which as the Minister of State will be aware, is one of the most socially...

Seanad: Youth Services (29 Sep 2011)

Averil Power: I appreciate that the Minister of State is here to represent the Minister and acknowledge that it is difficult for her to answer some of the more specific questions posed, but I urge her to talk to the Minister about them. While that was a good general response written by the Department in acknowledging the value of youth work, there was not a great deal in it about the Sphere 17 Regional...

Seanad: Investment in Science, Technology and Innovation: Statements (11 Oct 2011)

Averil Power: I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive address. There is no doubt that investing in science, technology and innovation will be an essential part of restoring growth and job creation in the coming years. However, when it comes to continuing to attract multi-million euro investments to Ireland and, as the Minister of State, making us world class in this respect, the quality of...

Seanad: Human Trafficking and Prostitution: Motion (12 Oct 2011)

Averil Power: I welcome the Minister of State and thank Senators Zappone and Mac Conghail for their opening remarks on this motion and the Independent group for tabling it. I also acknowledge the work Ruhama, the Immigrant Council of Ireland and the Turn off the Red Light campaign have done on this issue over a long time, but in particular in recent months, and in building a coalition across all sectors...

Seanad: Adult Education (13 Oct 2011)

Averil Power: I thank the Minister of State for attending. I am glad to have the opportunity to highlight the need for the Department of Education and Skills to maintain 2012 funding for Laneview Learning Centre Dublin 17 at the current level. As the Minister of State will be aware, Laneview is an educational centre in Belcamp, Dublin 17. It takes referrals from the local HSE methadone clinic located...