Results 2,801-2,820 of 8,212 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I accept the Minister's point on "reasonableness" on amendment No. 196 but I disagree on the Minister's points relating to amendments Nos. 197 and 198. There is a very large discretionary power being given to the authorised officer for as long as he or she reasonably believes necessary. There must be some form of time limit. I am not necessarily suggesting this should be every eight weeks...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 197: In page 101, lines 13 and 14, to delete ", for such period as the authorised officer reasonably considers necessary" and substitute the following: "as the authorised officer reasonably considers necessary or proportionate, for a period which is reasonable and proportionate. Such a period shall not exceed 8 weeks without a review by the superior officer of the...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 198: In page 101, lines 28 to 30, to delete all words from and including "be" in line 28 down to and including "appropriate" in line 30 and substitute the following: "be accompanied by a member of the Garda Síochána and such and so many other persons, as he or she considers appropriate".

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 199: In page 102, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following: "(8A) Where material or equipment obtained in the course of the investigation in the exercise of powers under section 139ZC, is subsequently not found to be relevant to the investigation, it shall be returned to the provider at the earliest possible opportunity.". This is an important provision and...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: For example, an officer may seize 20 laptops and only one might be relevant. There may be some equipment that is relevant to an investigation but other equipment that is not relevant. That is the context. My amendment does not relate to a subsequent investigation but is very much designed to be relevant during an investigation. I was adding something somewhat different with this amendment...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 200: In page 102, to delete lines 12 to 15. This seeks the deletion of section 139ZC(9), which provides that, "Where an authorised officer has exercised his or her powers under this section in good faith, the Commission shall indemnify the authorised officer against all actions or claims howsoever arising in respect of the exercise of those powers." Providing such a...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Minister and I are each imagining different mischievous actors. There are ranges of mischievous actors. My concern is that I do not see provisions in the Bill in respect of the coimisiún and how there will be an assertion in respect of good faith, what the mechanisms will be in that regard and what are the consequences for authorised officers who are the subject of multiple...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will withdraw the amendment and reserve the right to reintroduce it.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 201: In page 102, lines 14 and 15, to delete “all actions or claims howsoever arising in respect of the exercise of those powers” and substitute the following: “a first or second action or claim arising in respect of that officers exercise of these powers but will not indemnify an authorised officer in respect of a third or further action or...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 202: In page 102, line 40, after “practicable” to insert “and not less than 8 months”. The amendment adds a caveat to the provision that, as soon as practicable after the completion of an investigation, the authorised officer would prepare a draft report of the investigation. At the moment, the Bill refers to it being done as soon as...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I note that necessity and proportionality are significant in this regard but they are not encompassed in the word "fairness".Necessity and proportionality have a significant legal meaning, for instance, in relation to data protection. These sections allow for the seizure of interpersonal communications, for example, communications between individuals. The scope of the Bill is such that it...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 203: In page 104, line 15, after “fairness” to insert “, necessity, proportionality”.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 204: In page 104, between lines 17 and 18, to insert the following: “(3) The Commission shall publish any guidelines made under this section, and any amendment to or revocation of those guidelines, on an accessible website maintained by it.” This is a simple amendment. It provides in respect of the rules made under section 139ZF that the...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: In light of the Minister's engagement, I will withdraw the amendment.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 205: In page 107, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following: “(5) Where a judicial review is taken in respect of a decision made by the Commission under this section, the decision of the Commission shall stand pending the outcome of such a judicial review.”. The amendment seeks to find the balance between the right to take judicial review,...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am not questioning the taking of judicial review in any respect or the process around that but I seek clarification. My question is around what happens while a judicial review is taking place. If the commission makes an order and a judicial review is taken against it, as is the right of any person to do, what happens in the interim? Will the Minister clarify if the guidelines or...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 206: In page 107, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following: “(5) Not less than 20 per cent of the money recovered under subsection (1) shall be used for the purpose of promoting media literacy and digital empowerment.”. This amendment seeks to ensure that the commission uses some of the moneys recovered from financial sanction to enhance...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: If we are trusting the discretion of the commission in this regard, I would trust the commission to be acting only as appropriate in this context as well. When we have bad online practices, such as those we have been discussing, one of the aspects that is taken advantage of is a lack of media literacy, online skills and awareness of people's rights, and what is or is not appropriate in...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will withdraw it and come back to it on Report Stage. I will lobby in the meantime.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 207: In page 117, between lines 23 and 24, to insert the following: “(aa) where the content appears to the Commission to fall within the category of age-inappropriate online content defined in section 139D, requiring the provider to restrict access to the content to persons who have attained the age of 18 years, or”. This amendment adds another...