Results 3,241-3,260 of 8,212 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am open to that. There is content relating to the promotion of messages about climate and the environment and there are the mechanics of how emissions are produced. Some measures and policies are less wasteful in comparison with others. A thousand choices are made about online service providers. Do they refresh every nanosecond or every millisecond? There are many choices about the...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 21: In page 19, line 16, after “change” to insert “and environmental considerations”.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Both amendments are complementary. A really important point about amendment No. 24 is that it refers to community and community awareness programmes. At the moment it relates to educational initiatives and activities and educational bodies. Ireland has one of the lowest levels of digital literacy in the EU. That is shocking when we have these tech giants all around and we are early...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This is a very interesting discussion. There are three areas I want to ask about, two of which are very much related.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes, I am joining in person.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Oh, I apologise.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have a couple of questions on the public role and the issues of demolition and vacancy. Then I will ask two short follow-up questions. In terms of the public role, the new renovation wave policy document talks about public buildings and social infrastructure showing the way. There has been considerable focus on building this sector. Do we need a stronger emphasis on the public role in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I mentioned the question of limitations on demolition but also the importance of accounting for emissions from demolition. Mr. Barry mentioned we move towards not just the energy rating of building but carbon accounting. How important is it to account for the emissions from demolition?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank Dr. Kinnane.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I was asking about the public piece, the vacancy embodied and accounting for the full life cycle. I refer to accounting for emissions from demolition. As a follow-up query, regarding the European heritage green paper, we have focused a great deal on the new skills required for retrofitting and inspection, and accounting in that regard, but we must also consider older heritage and craft...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would like to follow up Chair’s follow-up to my follow-up. The national development plan is heavily front-loaded with requests for tenders and procurement. Significant public expenditure will be devoted to extensive building projects, and consequently there will be large numbers of requests for tenders and many contracts issued. I refer to ensuring we do not end up with many...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Sunlight is best, though.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I also ask Dr. Lindblom about the European heritage Green Paper.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I suggest correspondence might be helpful. This is not about heritage as a goal but more about using the skills that have been built up in the heritage sphere as one of the tools that can be useful in building renovation and the minimisation of carbon.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: There is perhaps room for cross-pollination between the two expertises in the Commission.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That public-first push allows for the raising of quality standards. Following on from the demolition and materials issue, and Deputy Bruton may even come in on it, around that recycling and reuse of materials piece, clearly one of the things it seems we need, and the witnesses might comment on this, is more public jobs, effectively, in areas of inspection and standards and making sure it is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Perhaps the Chairman will move on to Deputy Cronin while I sort out some audio issues. I will come down to the committee room in person. The sound seems to be a problem.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes, I regard this as the major gap in compact growth. Big tower buildings are being designed which families do not want to live in. I say that as a city centre dweller. I want families to live in, and to be able to live in, the city centre. They should be able to be at home and to have daylight.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Data Protection Act 2018 (Section 60(6)) (Office of the Ombudsman) Regulations 2022 (6 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister of State. This is exactly the approach that should be taken. I have not seen, and I do not know whether we have received, a copy of the proposed regulations, which it would, of course, be important to see in terms of the detail. I am glad to see section 60 of the Data Protection Act and Article 23 of the GDPR used properly. Very often, when we are told things cannot...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Data Protection Act 2018 (Section 60(6)) (Office of the Ombudsman) Regulations 2022 (6 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will look at them with interest. I thank the Minister of State for illustrating how section 60 can be used. I hope we do not see either blunt attempts to suspend GDPR or those kinds of people who let their hands be needlessly tied in it. I hope we will see more use and appropriate use of that section.