Results 41-60 of 873 for speaker:Averil Power

Seanad: Priory Hall Development (20 Oct 2011)

Averil Power: I thank the Minister for remaining on for this debate. The matter I wish to raise is very important. Last night, I attended a meeting of about 130 residents of the Priory Hall development in the Regency Hotel, where they are currently staying. People are very upset. There are families with babies and small children and elderly persons residing in hotel accommodation. There are three or...

Seanad: Priory Hall Development (20 Oct 2011)

Averil Power: I thank the Minister for his commitment to intervene in respect of mortgages and to talk to the Department of Social Protection. It will be a comfort to residents to know that the Government will talk to the banks and ask the Department of Social Protection to look after them. I know the Minister is looking at changing the building inspection procedures in the future. We would all agree on...

Seanad: Welfare of Greyhounds Bill 2011: Second Stage (25 Oct 2011)

Averil Power: I welcome the Minister of State and join my Fianna Fáil colleagues in supporting the Bill. Greyhound racing is a fine sport which, as Senator Ó Domhnaill mentioned, makes a significant contribution to the economy. It is also a great night out at a reasonable cost, which is an important point to remember in the current economic environment. As has been pointed out in the debate so far, the...

Seanad: Welfare of Greyhounds Bill 2011: Second Stage (25 Oct 2011)

Averil Power: In fairness this legislation was first introduced in July 2010.

Seanad: Garda Stations (27 Oct 2011)

Averil Power: I take the opportunity to raise a serious issue, namely, cuts to the Garda budget this year and beyond and the impact this might have on services to the people of Dublin North-East. Earlier this year we were privileged to have the visits to Ireland of President Obama and the Queen. I understand the policing aspects of these visits cost €35 million but the benefits for tourism and other...

Seanad: Garda Stations (27 Oct 2011)

Averil Power: I note the Minister of State did not rule out the closure of Howth or Malahide Garda stations. Has the Government a list of Garda stations in north-east Dublin that it is considering for closure or downgrading? While I accept the Minister of State claims no final decision has been made, when it is, it will be too late for people in the area to make their dissatisfaction clear to the...

Seanad: Reform of Junior Certificate: Statements (8 Nov 2011)

Averil Power: I welcome the Minister to the House and I thank him for his opening remarks. Fianna Fáil welcomes the proposals published by the NCAA. We appreciate that it has been the culmination of much work, both by NCAA staff under the direction of Anne Looney and by the consultative board led by Tom Collins. I also appreciate that these proposals represent just one part of work being carried out on...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2011)

Averil Power: In the bin.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Nov 2011)

Averil Power: I wish to propose an amendment to the Order of Business to bring the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government before the House to discuss the ongoing situation in respect of Priory Hall. Members are aware that the residents of Priory Hall have been living in unprecedented and cruel conditions in recent months. Many of us have raised this matter in the House during the...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Nov 2011)

Averil Power: It is.

Seanad: Health Awareness and Physical Fitness: Motion (23 Nov 2011)

Averil Power: I thank Senator Coghlan and the Independent group for tabling this motion. It is great for the House to have the benefit of his sporting expertise and that he is doing something worthwhile with it. The report was excellent. It was not just a stark reminder; it contained a lot of statistics which were quite frightening on the current position and where we are heading in terms of the obesity...

Seanad: School Staffing (15 Dec 2011)

Averil Power: I refer to the impact on disadvantaged areas of the education cuts included in the budget announced last week. I ask the Minister for Education and Skills to outline the rationale behind the cuts. It is extraordinary that the Government decided to target some of the most severely disadvantaged areas in the country for such savage cuts. It belies the claim made by it that it would protect...

Seanad: School Staffing (15 Dec 2011)

Averil Power: I acknowledge the Minister has stated he intends to put in place some alleviation measures. However, I do not understand how he can stand over these changes in general. There is a need to simply reverse them altogether. Again, I ask whether the long-term cost of this measure was considered, not simply in the departmental budget but across Government expenditure as a whole. Time still...

Seanad: Suicide Prevention: Statements (12 Jan 2012)

Averil Power: Like many other speakers, including Senators Noone and McAleese, I would like to focus on youth mental health, something we as a society have not given nearly enough attention to. HSE services are still very underdeveloped, as the Minister of State will be aware, yet all the statistics show that unfortunately, the high rate of suicide among young people, particularly young men, means people...

Seanad: Education (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (25 Jan 2012)

Averil Power: I appreciate that much of the Bill before us is based on the Education (Amendment) Bill 2010. Certain aspects of the Bill are necessary and are welcome, particularly the areas relating to conditions for registration, reregistration, for giving the Teaching Council the powers it needs to ensure that pre-service is up to scratch and for addressing the deficit of which we are all aware and...

Seanad: Banking Sector Regulation (26 Jan 2012)

Averil Power: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am sure he is well aware of the despicable situation in which the residents of Priory Hall have found themselves. Following a case brought by Dublin City Council, families have been forced to move out of their homes before Christmas, with little certainty for the future. Their apartments were not just badly built by Coalport Limited, they are...

Seanad: Banking Sector Regulation (26 Jan 2012)

Averil Power: With respect, that is an extraordinarily hands-off reply given the general policy implications. What message does this send out in the current environment, not just to Priory Hall residents but to individuals and families who are under huge pressure? They can see their assets being taken from them and are worried about being able to pay their mortgages and feed their children, yet they can...

Seanad: Banking Sector Regulation (26 Jan 2012)

Averil Power: Has the Minister of State seen the legal advice?

Seanad: Education (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2012)

Averil Power: I support the amendments. As I stated on Second Stage last week, I understand where the Minister is coming from, given that the HSE has often used the fact that the Minister for Education and Skills has responsibility as an excuse for not stepping up to the mark. However, I have a concern. There is a gap arising from the failure to assign, at the same time, a positive responsibility to the...

Seanad: Education (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 Jan 2012)

Averil Power: I raise the same concerns I raised regarding the earlier amendments. Can the Minister reassure me and the House that the Minister for Health has that positive responsibility for delivery of health therapies in schools and that this will not leave a gap in that regard? The reality for many children with special needs is that they cannot avail of an education without the appropriate health...