Results 201-220 of 873 for speaker:Averil Power

Seanad: Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Second Stage (24 Mar 2015)

Averil Power: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important legislation. There is no doubt that Irish family law is totally out of date and does not reflect the diversity of modern families. It is focused generally, as the Minister has said, on marital families and does not provide adequate protection or support for those living in other forms of loving family environments. That is a huge gap...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Dublin Docklands Development Authority (11 Mar 2015)

Averil Power: I have tabled this debate to highlight the need for the Government to ensure that a certain percentage of jobs are allocated to local people during the Dublin docklands redevelopment, similar to arrangements that were put in place for the Grangegorman development. Recently, I met Mr. Tony McDonnell of the North Wall residents association and a local representative for the area, Mr. Brian...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Dublin Docklands Development Authority (11 Mar 2015)

Averil Power: I welcome that work is under way to develop a strategy and a consultative forum for residents but the engagement needs to go beyond consultation to real involvement. The Minister of State stated that one of the key objectives of the DDDA was to secure the social and economic regeneration of the area. The area will only be regenerated when the existing community is properly integrated. It...

Seanad: Ambulance Services in Dublin: Statements (10 Mar 2015)

Averil Power: I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate, albeit just for one minute. I came to the House last Tuesday and asked the Leader to schedule a debate on this issue because I was deeply concerned to hear the city manager had gone ahead and announced a major change to the service without the consultation that was promised initially. Like Senator O'Brien, I do not doubt the Minister's bona...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Mar 2015)

Averil Power: I call for a debate with the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation on the job cuts announced by Cadbury last week. A total of 145 of the 220 job losses will be in Coolock alone, an area which already has a high rate of unemployment. The job cuts came as a major shock last week to employees in Coolock and to those in Kerry and Tallaght as well. However, it is evident that the...

Seanad: Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill 2014: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (3 Mar 2015)

Averil Power: May I come in after-----

Seanad: Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill 2014: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (3 Mar 2015)

Averil Power: Can I speak-----

Seanad: Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill 2014: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (3 Mar 2015)

Averil Power: May I speak on the Bill after it passes?

Seanad: Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill 2014: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (3 Mar 2015)

Averil Power: I strongly welcome the fact that this legislation will pass today. It has taken much personal leadership on behalf of the Minister. It has inspired all his initiatives in the tobacco area. This is a horrible, cynical and dangerous product and the more we can do to help people quit smoking, the better.I congratulate the Minister and I welcome the fact that the Bill started in this House and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Business of Joint Committee (25 Feb 2015)

Averil Power: To be fair, the proposal was in the email circulated to us earlier in the week. I replied, earlier in the week, to say that I agreed with the proposal so it would not be fair to change my position. The proposal was flagged to us.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Higher and Further Education Grants: Discussion (25 Feb 2015)

Averil Power: I commend SUSI, Student Universal Support Ireland, for the fact that the applications process is much better. I know that there were teething problems in the first year, but most of the complaints I now receive are about the criteria to be applied under the scheme. We have, therefore, come a long way. Mr. Brian Power stated: "The assessment of income from the same starting point [gross...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Higher and Further Education Grants: Discussion (25 Feb 2015)

Averil Power: And the recommendations of the appeals board?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Higher and Further Education Grants: Discussion (25 Feb 2015)

Averil Power: The difficulty is that they both come out of the same pot. The money going to the student assistance fund has decreased from €8 million to €6.6 million in the past two years. I understand that the overall fund is the same, but more is going to the disabilities side. The students who can avail of the student assistance fund are our most vulnerable students. They have to be in...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Feb 2015)

Averil Power: I also welcome the improvement in the literacy statistics. It is great that the additional investment in education by the previous Government, particularly in disadvantaged areas under the DEIS scheme, is paying off. It is important to acknowledge that and for the Government to keep its hands off DEIS and reinstate the money it has taken from the school completion programme and other...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Feb 2015)

Averil Power: E-cigarettes do need to be regulated and our Bill proposes a sensible way of doing that. We look forward to bringing it before the House and will be seeking an amendment today to introduce it and debate it in the House.

Seanad: Public Health (Regulation of Electronic Cigarettes and the Protection of Children) Bill 2015: First Stage (24 Feb 2015)

Averil Power: I move: That leave be given to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to provide for the prohibition of the consumption of electronic cigarettes in public service vehicles and places of work, to provide for the registration of persons engaged in the business of selling electronic cigarettes by retail, to provide for the prohibition on the advertising of electronic cigarettes, a prohibition on...

Seanad: Public Health (Regulation of Electronic Cigarettes and the Protection of Children) Bill 2015: First Stage (24 Feb 2015)

Averil Power: It is proposed to take Second Stage on Tuesday, 3 March 2015.

Seanad: Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Bill 2014: Second Stage (24 Feb 2015)

Averil Power: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. On 27 February 2013 I stood up in this House and warmly welcomed the Taoiseach's apology the previous week to the Magdalen survivors. I also said that I was proud of him for the genuine, warm and sincere manner in which he had delivered that apology. Unfortunately, as Maeve O'Rourke of the Justice for Magdalenes group has pointed out, while the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Student Assistance Fund (19 Feb 2015)

Averil Power: I welcome the Minister to the House. I have tabled this debate to highlight the need for the Department to provide extra funding for the student assistance fund in light of the fact many colleges have already exhausted their entire allocation for the 2014-15 academic year. As the Minister is aware, the purpose of the student assistance fund is to give the colleges discretionary funding to...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Student Assistance Fund (19 Feb 2015)

Averil Power: I am very disappointed that the overall budget for this year has been fully committed. I accept that the Minister budgeted on the basis of a smaller amount of money for this year but there is a desperate need for her to find funding from somewhere. She should go back to the Department of Finance and seek further funds. If a student drops out of college and signs on for social welfare, then...