Results 3,441-3,460 of 8,468 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 69: In page 35, to delete lines 38 and 39 and substitute the following: "work programme, have regard to the need to ensure the most sustainable and efficient use of its resources, while ensuring that such resources are directed towards maximum social and cultural benefit to the public.".

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 70: In page 36, line 16, after "any" to insert "appropriate". I propose to withdraw this amendment, but I may return to the issue on Report Stage. May I speak to the other amendment in the group?

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I indicated that that is my intention, but I want to speak to amendment No. 71.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have queried the procedure where I propose to withdraw amendment No. 70. Amendment No. 71 provides that where there are consultations, a record would be kept and that such record would include the rationale by which the commission deemed the person to be appropriate to consult with. Here, again, I have used the language that such record should be deposited with the Minister and laid...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would like clarification. A similar answer was given in terms of the earlier piece when the focus was laid on the phrase "laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas". I have made it clear that that is not the core point. Does the Minister agree that records in regard to with whom the commission consults should be kept? I am speaking about those with whom the commission consults in the...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Minister of State can choose to not answer that question. This is the Committee Stage debate. When we come to the section I will speak to it and ask the Minister of State the same question and, perhaps, he might answer it. He is currently answering in respect of the records being laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. He is not answering in terms of the other issue. In this...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: He has spoken to the amendments. We can come back to the issue when we come to the section.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We will come to the section presently.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 71: In page 36, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following: “(4A) A record of any consultations conducted under subsection (4) shall be kept and such a record will include the rationale by which the Commission deemed the person to be appropriate to consult with, and such records shall be deposited with the Minister and laid before both Houses of the...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 72: In page 37, line 14, after “rules” to insert the following: “and shall identify specific barriers to accessing audiovisual media services for people with disabilities along with possible mitigation measures”. This deals with the annual report which addresses the issue of the accessibility of audiovisual media services to persons with...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: My amendment seeks to ensure that we did not end up having very general figures in terms of accessibility but that the report looks to address specific barriers and how they might be mitigated. Rather than having a very generic progress report, it should actually be a problem-solving report. I welcome the existence of the annual report within the legislation. I think it is a constructive...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will be very brief because I am conscious that others, even during the term of the last Oireachtas, have worked in this area. I want to follow up on two or three subjects, particularly regarding liability insurance, because I have encountered several cases, particularly in the voluntary sector, where there is an extremely negative impact. I have a couple of questions on the impact of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I apologise for the inconvenience, but I am going to come to the committee room to ask my questions because the sound quality is very poor.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It strikes me that despite insurance being a business that deals in risk and does not produce, manufacture or build anything or engage in any other service except for the management of risk, there have been significant efforts on the part of the State to reduce the risk. The companies pass much of the requirement on to the State to reduce the risk and many efforts have been made to reduce...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will give Deputy Doherty an opportunity to speak.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank Deputy Doherty and Mr. Boland. I was not pressing the duty of care but pointing out that it is now the area of focus while the evidence about previous reforms has yet to be seen. I welcome that part of the Bill. I have a follow-up question for Mr. Boland which may be outside the scope of this Bill. He mentioned a further discussion that is needed with certain sectors. I know that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It strikes me that measures may be required related to the cherry-picking activities by insurance companies.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (28 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Although I sympathise with certain elements because I regret that we have such an adversarial frame in our debates, often with very strong privileging of heat over light in political programming, in respect of which balance is important, I am concerned about the amendment. I do not know whether the weighting of political parties will be the way we move towards more balanced and nuanced...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (28 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This group of amendments relates to the key endeavour we are undertaking. It is constructive and part of recognising that debates on issues extend beyond political and electoral debate. That was the context for and what we were trying to do with our amendment. We will move it and bring it back on Report Stage. The Minister said that she will engage with the Minister of State, Deputy...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (28 Apr 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 35: In page 22, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following: “(2A) One member of the Commission, who shall not be the chairperson, shall be known as an Online Safety Commissioner.”. We discussed this earlier. This relates to the core premise, the online safety commissioner. When articles appear in newspapers, they only cover five sentences from...