Results 1-20 of 358 for going forward speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...in both the arts, humanities and social sciences and in science, engineering, mathematics and technology. The Minister may be aware this was a huge issue when the original heads of Bill were put forward. One of the big concerns from academic institutions across the State was that of parity of esteem and ensuring there is parity of esteem between the arts, social sciences, humanities and...

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 7: In page 9, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: “ “United Nations Sustainable Development Goals” means the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 1 to 17 set out in the document entitled “Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, published by the UN Department of Economic and Social...

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The circular economy Bill references the sustainable development goals and it does not have an issue with doing so. There are formulations that allow for references to the sustainable development goals and the subsequent goals that may follow them, as was done in relation to the millennium development goals, which preceded them. The Minister of State mentioned a number of bodies that would...

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...for foundational research, which he emphasised. The Senator mentioned his research in respect of the armed forces. There is a key ethical question which needs to be addressed, and I may bring forward amendments on Report Stage to address it. I refer to how core ethics relate to a research body, without compromising academic and intellectual freedom. There may be certain ethical...

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...Ryan, calling for a shift in policy and Gas Networks Ireland apparently being able to ignore that call. Some unknown Minister, however, will be able to send a non-public letter. When I brought forward my Climate Action and Biodiversity (Mandates of Certain Organisations) Bill 2023, which proposes changing the mandate of Coillte and Bord na Móna, the discussion in the Chamber gave...

Seanad: An Bille um an Aonú Leasú is Daichead ar an mBunreacht (An Comhaontú maidir le Cúirt Aontaithe um Paitinní), 2024: An Dara Céim - Forty-first Amendment of the Constitution (Agreement on a Unified Patent Court) Bill 2024: Second Stage (21 Mar 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...may be referred by the UPC to the European Court of Justice for ruling and that previous rulings of the European Court of Justice may have set precedent. However, it is not clear whether, moving forward, there are mechanisms to appeal to the European Court of Justice. This matters because the problem with the investor court system that was proposed is not simply the big picture of fines...

Seanad: International Women's Day: Statements (6 Mar 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...unacceptable language that we have currently in Article 41.2 and for its replacement with something that would recognise care in its fuller sense. On this International Women's Day, I will be going out and I will be voting, "Yes" and "Yes". I will be voting for diverse families to recognise that marital families are not the only families in the State and I will be voting to say that care...

Seanad: Situation in Palestine: Motion (21 Feb 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...drops of water a day and scraps of meals, surrounded by the grief of others and carrying grief themselves in the dust and water and danger of overcrowded refugee camps, given their bravery to keep going each day and to support each other, it is fair that Ireland would be a little braver too. I want to acknowledge that the Government has been clear on ceasefire. Let us be clear on this...

Seanad: Situation in the Middle East: Statements (Resumed) (20 Feb 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...wait for Europe but allow us to be first leaders. By the way, in the Tánaiste's speech he mentioned Operation Aspides. Apparently EU naval forces are heading down to protect commercial shipping going through the Red Sea but meanwhile the EU has not taken any action in respect of, for example, suspending the EU-Israel association agreement, something that does not require a review...

Seanad: Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The piece that is a little bit different is just clarifying the role of the mayor in that. Of course, as an elected councillor they can come forward with these proposals. I did not want to remove that function of the elected council. However, I do want whatever candidates there are for mayor of Limerick - it is not going to be me - to be able to go out and talk to the people of Limerick...

Seanad: Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...up to the convention to putting it into effect.Very often we find we have a business-as-usual approach in areas rather than a proactive approach. When we design actions, take actions and bring forward proposals, are we actively seeing, for example, if these reflect and support the inclusion of persons with a disability? It sometimes means doing things differently. There is a lot of...

Seanad: Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Feb 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...within the city of Limerick. It is important to draw attention to the fact there is an eight-page list of things that are excluded from the reach of the mayor but later in this debate, the Government will add a pile of other things. We may get to nine or ten pages because even more things are being put in the Schedule. There is obviously a huge fear centrally that there might be a mayor...

Seanad: Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Feb 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...of voting but states that the mayor will be accountable. This is around trying to have a situation where we do not simply have a mayor who is another councillor, who may or may not turn up, who may put forward motions or who may vote. In fact, it is that we have an explicit requirement for the mayor to be accountable to the councillors.It is the model used with the Mayor of London and...

Seanad: Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Feb 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...just be adding that requirement for accountability; it does not change anything else. It does not limit the powers of the mayor in attending meetings, functioning as a normal councillor, putting forward motions, voting and so forth, but it puts in that requirement that they be accountable because at the moment we do not have a structure whereby councillors can say they require the mayor...

Seanad: Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2023: Committee Stage (8 Feb 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...the Minister of State will be able to accept this amendment.Amendment No. 6 refers to the text of the Bill as it is now in terms of the review. This states that when there is a review of how everything is going the Minister would be consulting "with the Mayor, Limerick City and County Council, the consultative forum and such other persons as the Minister considers appropriate". There is...

Seanad: Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2023: Committee Stage (8 Feb 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...it is a massive curtailment of the voice of the people of Limerick. It is not simply an individual curtailed by the lack of ambition in the mayoral powers, but all the people of Limerick when they go out to vote because they like the ideas, vision or proposals mayoral candidates put forward. They come up against the obstacle that, even though they made that decision and voted because...

Seanad: Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2023: Committee Stage (8 Feb 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...flagged during pre-legislative scrutiny by the Library and Research Service, namely that the existing executive functions are not listed anywhere. There is a very general provision in the Local Government Act 2001 to the effect that any function of a local authority not designated as a reserved function is deemed to be an executive function. The amendment would require the mayor and...

Seanad: Family Carers: Motion [Private Members] (31 Jan 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...sign of what we need following on from the debates we had last week, when we looked at the upcoming referendums and at the question of how we, as a State, address the issue of care. It is a very good sign that Government Members are putting forward this motion and setting out a level of ambition. Two important principles are acknowledged at the beginning of the motion and I will respond...

Seanad: Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2023: Second Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...clauses in the middle of Bills where yet another small power, point of voice or point where the councillors would have a say is removed. The fact that we have seen so many people quitting local government is worrying and reflects the frustration that those who put themselves forward in that public spirit, wanting to serve their communities, find when they come up against that wall where...