Results 2,121-2,140 of 8,212 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: CervicalCheck Tribunal Bill 2019: Second Stage (11 Jul 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This is a very important tribunal for the women who have been affected and their families. It is also important for Ireland. Dr. Scally spoke about the lack of grace and compassion in how Ireland had engaged with the controversy. While financial remedy may be part of the solution, it does not do the job fully in terms of addressing what we need to address. Dr. Scally also spoke of a...

Seanad: CervicalCheck Tribunal Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On that point and the other points, I expect that many of us want to be consulted about the amending Bill the Minister intends to bring forward in the autumn. On what was said about the quality of diagnostics and governance, on Second Stage I indicated my concern about public procurement. I have had some indications that that would not be within the scope, potentially, but I am sure we will...

Seanad: CervicalCheck Tribunal Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I concur with the Minister that publically delivered health services is the ideal.

Seanad: CervicalCheck Tribunal Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 5:In page 13, line 31, to delete “and the Tribunal agrees that it would be appropriate to do so,”. The Minister and others have spoken very eloquently in this House and elsewhere about the contribution made by many of the women affected by the CervicalCheck scandal. It has had very deep and personal effects on their lives, in some cases causing the loss of...

Seanad: CervicalCheck Tribunal Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister for his response. If we are having a discussion about what is reasonable, I will note a couple of points. I appreciate the point that one should not be able to say "My words will be documented but the response will not be." That point has been made to me and it is fair enough. That is the kind of nuance that may be there. However, it should also not be the case that...

Seanad: CervicalCheck Tribunal Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I wish to speak on section 31. My issue relates to section 32 as well. I can speak twice or in a combined manner, as the Acting Chairman prefers.

Seanad: CervicalCheck Tribunal Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This section relates to a point I will address in section 32 on recommendations to the Minister, whereby all those involved in a meeting make recommendations to the Minister. I simply note that in section 31 the facilitator has been appointed by the Minister. In that context, the concerns I am going to raise in relation to section 32 may be addressed in the implementation of section 31. My...

Seanad: CervicalCheck Tribunal Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: To build on the point made earlier, subsection (10) of section 32 reads: "A restoration of trust meeting may with the unanimous agreement of those participating in the meeting make recommendations to the Minister." My concern again is to ensure that a facilitator appointed by the Minister, as one of those participating in the meeting, would not have an undue chilling effect on the making of...

Seanad: CervicalCheck Tribunal Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: As Senator Nash has said, the key thing today is the women who have been affected, the more than 20 women who have died, and the women who generously gave the last part of their lives to raise and highlight these issues. I refer to people like Emma Mhic Mhathúna, who has been spoken about; Julie O'Reilly; and Orla Church, who died during the long process of seeking justice through the...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (24 Sep 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 2:In page 9, to delete lines 19 to 43, and in page 10, to delete lines 1 to 26. It is regrettable that the amendment put forward by my colleagues on class K payments was ruled out of order because it is an important issue. Even though that is the case, perhaps there may be a chance to discuss it when discussing the section. Amendments Nos. 2 to 7, inclusive, propose...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (24 Sep 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On the question of personal progression plans, my amendment does not seek to remove them. When I debated this issue with the Minister in the past I proposed that she set guidelines on personal progression plans. That would have been a useful step in moving towards the wished-for situation described by Senator O'Reilly. However, my amendment specifically states that the fact of a person...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (24 Sep 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I note that the Minister is interested in mirroring language. My next set of amendments speaks to the differences between this legislation and current schemes. There are parts where the legislation does not mirror the current language. Is the phrase "submit to" used in the current legislation, or is it "attend for"? I would like to tease out that specific issue. If it is the case that...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (24 Sep 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is fine.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (24 Sep 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have a very specific question to conclude. Is it the case that if somebody attends a meeting to review the options available to him or her and, at the end of that meeting, does not sign a personal progression plan, that person will nonetheless be regarded as having attended that meeting? Is that the Minister's understanding?

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (24 Sep 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister for that clarification.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (24 Sep 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Minister has answered my question in that agreeing to one is not necessarily the requirement of having attended a meeting. That is the key point I wanted to communicate. I thank the Minister for giving me that assurance.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (24 Sep 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It may be a long process to reach agreement. It may take several meetings.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (24 Sep 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I suggest that the need to eat, to live, to clothe one’s children and to heat one’s house make people apply for jobseeker’s benefit in many cases.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (24 Sep 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is the nature of the help. I want people to find work. People want to find work but it is about an approach of assistance or an approach of prescription. We will come to that later.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Committee Stage (24 Sep 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 3:In page 9, to delete lines 19 and 20 and substitute “Activation Services relating to jobseekers’ benefit (self-employed)”.