Results 3,121-3,140 of 8,212 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Budget 2021: Statements (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, to the House. In his speech yesterday he highlighted two underlying assumptions in respect of this budget, first, that Covid-19 will remain with us for a long period of time and, second, that, unfortunately, we may be looking at a scenario of Brexit without a deal from January. I would agree with both of those assumptions and it is important that they...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the witnesses for their presentation. Previous speakers raised the very important issue that just transition is not named in the heads of the Bill. I suggest that a new paragraph (z) be added to section 3 after paragraph (y). That would be a natural place to insert a paragraph on just transition as there seems to be a gap there. Just transition is not the same as climate justice....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: What of the 2030 targets?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I wish to clarify that I refer to the 2030 targets that Ireland signed up to, not the programme for Government.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: People have spoken about the language. Has consideration been given or could it be given to separating out some of these things we hear about in the long list? I worry there might be an implied equivalence, for example, the stronger language Senator O'Reilly and others mentioned that might be attached to the specific points in terms of our obligations and whether it is appropriate we have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would like this clarified because it has been stated. Will Mr. Carroll clarify there is nothing in the legislation that locks in these targets? He spoke about the programme for Government but with regard to the legislation there is nothing that locks in the targets. Is this correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes. My point is to clarify two factual things. One is that there is nothing precluding us from setting an interim target of, for example, 55% by 2030, within which the budgets should operate. It does not matter whether we say it is compliant with the EU and so forth. There is nothing, however, to stop us from setting that hard figure. There is no hard guarantee percentage, however, in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Minimum targets would not have that legislative problem.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Election of Vice Chairman (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I also sit on the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach. They made the decision to have a Vice Chairman who is a Senator and a Vice Chairman who is a Deputy. They act as joint Vice Chairmen. That may be another option available to the committee.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is not agreed.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: No. We need to clarify something before we continue with the debate. This is not to be obstructive, but a large number of amendments are related to the Adoption Authority of Ireland. I am happy for those to be taken together for the purposes of ease of debate. However, amendments Nos. 8 and 9 relate to a different issue, which is the question of whether copies should be made of records....

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is fine. It relates to the amendment rather than the section. Is that correct?

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is fine. I am happy to accept that. I propose that the grouping stand, as such, with the exception that amendments Nos. 8 and 9 are taken separately and that amendment No. 20 would be taken separately.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We can. People often do it.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following:“ “Authority” means the Adoption Authority of Ireland;”. I am speaking to amendments Nos. 1 to 6, inclusive, and several others. My contribution will be lengthier than I would like because this is such a large grouping. Amendment No. 1 is simply around ensuring the Bill would...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On a point of clarification, I suggest that we change the groupings. Amendments Nos. 19 and 20 are effectively alternatives to each other. To save me reiterating all the same points about amendments Nos. 19 and 20, I suggest that Nos. 19 and 20 be taken together. That might ease the Minister's response if that is agreeable to the House.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I want to address a couple of the issues to which the Minister has spoken. I also wish to add my concern about the manner in which this has been done. I suggest, frankly, that notwithstanding the urgency the Minister sees, there is still no excuse for Committee and Report Stages to be taken together. It does not allow for any real concerns. There are significant legal and legislative...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank Senator McDowell for clarifying that the database is not affected by this, as it is important that there is unity across the House. There are a number of other areas of agreement across the House, but I must oppose amendments Nos. 7 and 21. I will explain why. It is about the core issue of people's rights to have their stories told, if they wish to tell them, and to own their words...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The amendment-----