Results 141-160 of 873 for speaker:Averil Power

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Averil Power: The point of the Bill is to ensure the student experience is as positive as it can be. I understand, from the debate on Second Stage, that it is the intention that standards would be set at national level for student consultation and there would not just be a broad requirement for it. Best practice should be set out at national level because while some institutions have good standards,...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Averil Power: I inadvertently spoke to amendment No. 128 earlier. The amendment seeks to ensure that those awards already aligned to the framework before the coming into operation of section 38 will automatically be deemed to be aligned with the framework under this Act.

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Averil Power: The Minister of State indicated he would accept it.

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Averil Power: The Minister of State believes the principle of the amendment is met by way of his amendments.

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Mar 2012)

Averil Power: I propose, on the basis of earlier discussion on this issue, to redraft amendment No. 136 and to submit an alternative text for Report Stage.

Seanad: Report of Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments: Statements (24 Apr 2012)

Averil Power: I thank the Minister of State for her opening statement. As all Members will agree, the basic foundation of any political system is confidence that decisions are made through the right processes and for the right reasons. The Mahon tribunal's report massively dented that confidence in its over 3,200 pages. It details the most appalling and outrageous betrayal of trust at all levels in the...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Apr 2012)

Averil Power: Will the Deputy Leader impress upon the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the need for the Government to use its influence with the banks, particularly those which are in State ownership, to encourage them to take part in the resolution process relating to the residents of Priory Hall? She will be aware that the process, which is...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Averil Power: I welcome the Minister of State. Fianna Fáil is opposing this Bill for several reasons. Senator Leyden touched on some of them and Senator Mooney will deal with others. I will deal specifically with section 4 and its impact on lone parents. The section is particularly ill thought out and unjust. Senator Zappone highlighted the following point in her eloquent contribution. In the absence...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Averil Power: I am sure the Acting Chairman will be as generous to the Senator as the Chair was to him earlier.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Averil Power: I echo many of the comments that have been made. On Second Stage, I made the point that I would support any reform of the one-parent family payment which will make a difference and led to positive outcomes for lone parents. As the Minister is aware, the reforms that were put in train by the previous Government have not fully kicked in yet. There has already been a major change whereby the...

Seanad: Report of Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector: Statements, Questions and Answers (1 May 2012)

Averil Power: I welcome the Minister to the House. In particular, I welcome the report on patronage. An enormous amount of work has been put into it, not only on the part of the Minister but by the group, headed by Professor John Coolahan, which has put significant effort into this work during the past year. It is clear from reading it that there was a strong culture of co-operation among the different...

Seanad: Report of Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector: Statements, Questions and Answers (1 May 2012)

Averil Power: It is a huge challenge and requires major change in order to cater for everyone. The Minister has correctly pinpointed the need to ensure it does not have an impact on the quality of education. Beyond the religious question, when one asks what is most important about school, patronage is not in the top three as far as I can recall from surveys. The key is to maintain quality of education...

Seanad: Report of Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector: Statements, Questions and Answers (1 May 2012)

Averil Power: They are more passive.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) Bill 2012: Order for Second Stage (2 May 2012)

Averil Power: I move: "That Second Stage be taken now." Question put and agreed to.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (2 May 2012)

Averil Power: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I welcome the Minister to the House and I welcome representatives from the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, GLEN, the teacher unions, BelongTo, TENI, Gay Doctors Ireland and Ógra Fianna Fáil who are in the Gallery. We are dealing with an issue of major concern to each of these groups, namely, the threat posed to thousands of teachers,...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (2 May 2012)

Averil Power: The Senator knows I am happy to accept her amendments.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (2 May 2012)

Averil Power: I thank Senators on all sides of the House for their contributions to the debate and thank the Ministers, Deputies Shatter and Quinn, for attending and giving us their views. I reiterate the commitment I made at the start. I had hoped we could agree on this issue as a matter of principle and finalise the text later on Committee Stage. I still believe it would be good to send out the...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (10 May 2012)

Averil Power: I move amendment No. 5: In page 67, to delete line 29 and substitute the following: "(b) at least two people who are representatives of learners.". I welcome the Minister of State. I spoke on this matter on Second Stage and I will not repeat what I said at that point. The purpose of the Bill is to improve the student experience and to ensure the education students across the entire sector...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (10 May 2012)

Averil Power: We will be pressing the amendment. Given the whole function of the authority will be about the student experience and ensuring it is top class, I do not believe having two learner representatives on a board of eight is unreasonable. It was different when there were separate agencies covering different sectors. Now that only one agency will examine the whole and diverse experience from...

Seanad: NAMA and Irish Bank Resolution Corporation Transparency Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Jun 2012)

Averil Power: I welcome the Minister to the House. I join my colleagues in highlighting the need for greater transparency in the way NAMA does its work. It is a crucial factor in having public confidence in the institution. Other issues also need to be prioritised to ensure people and the taxpayer have confidence in the institution and feel it will deliver value for money and its social objectives, as...