Results 2,241-2,260 of 3,425 for speaker:Emer Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Homelessness Issues: Discussion (30 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: I thank the witnesses and all their front-line workers who do so much work in this area. Mr. Stanley's call for better recognition of that was heard loud and clear. I am sure there will be pre-budget statements on that. I would be happy to support those calls. Ms Hayes clearly outlined the issue for us here in Dublin with regard to presentations being steady but exits from homelessness...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Homelessness Issues: Discussion (30 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: Is there any white smoke on that inter-local authority boundary work?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Homelessness Issues: Discussion (30 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: Is it possible for that protocol to be circulated to the committee members?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Homelessness Issues: Discussion (30 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: That would be great. I thank Ms Hayes. Do the representatives from Threshold want to respond?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Homelessness Issues: Discussion (30 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: Targets really are the issue. It is not that there are more creative ideas that we should be looking at.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Homelessness Issues: Discussion (30 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: Do the witnesses from the Simon Communities want to comment?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Homelessness Issues: Discussion (30 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: I thank the witnesses for all the information they provided since the previous round of questions. I will touch on the matter of the 50% of notices to quit that are invalid with the Threshold representatives. When they work with clients, do they find it is a short-term fix in that they are buying them a little extra time? Do they find they are able to resolve the issue in some of the cases?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Homelessness Issues: Discussion (30 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: What percentage is it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Homelessness Issues: Discussion (30 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: No problem. I will stick with the Threshold representatives. I love what they said about requiring the reduced tax on rental income to be linked to tenure. I would love to hear a little more about their suggestions as to how that can happen from a practical perspective.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Homelessness Issues: Discussion (30 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: The Simon representatives referenced in their opening statement the issue of renters being bigger now that it was initially. The increase in rents and HAP staying static, to some degree, is probably not helping matters. Will they talk to me a little about the percentage of people they find who are ending up homeless who are renters? Do they think that is part of the reason they are ending...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Homelessness Issues: Discussion (30 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: If somebody is on HAP and receives a notice to quit, and part of that person's circumstances is that they are in rent arrears, is it possible to move from HAP to homeless HAP in that scenario to assist with financial distress and try to maintain that tenancy?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Homelessness Issues: Discussion (30 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: Ms O'Reilly was shaking her head. She might have a different perspective.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Homelessness Issues: Discussion (30 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: Because they are homeless.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Report of the Review of the Operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018: Discussion (31 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: I thank the Chair for facilitating me. I know he has a tough job to do today and I note that he has not used his own ten minutes. I appreciate him allowing me to speak. I have three areas of interest. These are fatal foetal abnormalities versus anomalies, the three-day wait and safe zones. I want to say this first because I have only five minutes to speak as a non-member of the committee...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Report of the Review of the Operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018: Discussion (31 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: This is the problem really. Ultimately the witnesses have detailed situations where expectant parents have had to travel to receive a termination for a much-wanted pregnancy in a situation where they have been given clinical advice that the baby will not survive very long but where they do not have the clinical clarity to be able to say they are within section 11 of the legislation. It is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Report of the Review of the Operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018: Discussion (31 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: I thank Ms O'Shea. I hope this is reflected in the committee's report on this. It is about engaging with stakeholders to see how they can reform the Act to make section 11 do what it originally set out to do-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Report of the Review of the Operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018: Discussion (31 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: -----and how it was sold to the men and women of Ireland.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Report of the Review of the Operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018: Discussion (31 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: I know two women in this situation and it is particularly tough when they and their families voted in favour of repeal for this reason. With regard to the three day wait we have heard a lot about the unintended consequences and people being timed out of the system. Some contributors have already made the point that we do not seem to have data on the initial intended consequence. Having...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Report of the Review of the Operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018: Discussion (31 May 2023)

Emer Higgins: This is a very important recommendation for the Minister and the HSE to hear. It seems like a big gap that could be quite easily fixed. With regard to safe zones, outside of GP surgeries in particular, the testimony that has been put on the record today is shocking. I have heard the witnesses used the phrase "coercively controlling somebody's reproductive rights". It is appalling that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Disabled People's Organisations and the Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (1 Jun 2023)

Emer Higgins: I apologise for missing the start of the meeting. I was next door at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I am trying to bilocate. I read all the opening statements and thank our guests for writing them. I also thank them for taking the time to be with us to engage in this important discussion. I was struck my what Mr. Sherwin said, which was that...