Results 3,221-3,240 of 8,212 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: With absolute respect, Minister, there is a large number of amendments.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I wanted to check, in terms of time.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: No, commentary is useful.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister. I am going to speak to his amendments and to my amendments to his amendments, which are grouped together. Given the time constraints, I am going to speak specifically to issues in these groupings but I reiterate that the manner, the timing and the sense of disempowerment that has accompanied this entire legislative process has been extraordinarily unfortunate and has...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would like to add-----

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am raising a point of order.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On a point of order, there is a practice in this House whereby Members do not refer to persons or organisations outside the House in a way that makes them identifiable. In terms of specific campaigns run by specific organisations, I feel we have strayed into that type of thing. Several Members have expressed concern about whether the amendments they have put forward will be reached in the...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is not an exception but a restriction. That is a very important clarification given that the word "prohibition" was misused earlier.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have an amendment within this grouping. I completely agree with the points made by Senator Doherty. It is, and remains, the nub. The Minister has described a process that he will put in place but there is also a process of the data protection impact assessment, DPIA, where the Minister needs to look to how he as data controller, not the commission, will deal with the documents. The...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Minister stated that information relating to criminal acts was brought to the attention of the relevant authorities at the time. In that case, I am surprised that we have not seen a raft of prosecutions. It seems clear from what we have heard that large numbers of illegal acts have taken place. I acknowledge that the Minister will be engaging with the Garda when the final report comes...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: What about the Minister's amendments? I have amendments in this group. I can be brief.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I recognise that the Minister has listened to my comments but there is an issue that has been raised by others, and my amendments for this group would simply allow the Minister, under the same section he has introduced, to oblige the commission to offer people a copy of their testimony along with the obligation on the commission in the legislation to consult people on the question of...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (23 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will try to be brief, given that every Bill today is being rushed through all Stages. They will all have been guillotined before a full debate could happen, even in the compressed form of debate that has been allowed when Bills are pushed through all Stages. There will have been five guillotines in two days. These practices, as Senator Hoey noted, are not just disrespectful but damaging...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We are under some time pressure.

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I want to speak in support of the amendments. They are incredibly sensible. The use of "or" or "and" can make a huge difference. In this case, to speak to amendment No. 2 first, it is absolutely clear the Minister should not be making a fixed payment notice without prescribing how it would be used and there is no point in prescribing how it might be administered if it does not exist. It...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: There has never been a more apt moment to call for a mechanism involving appropriate scrutiny. It is as clear as day how important it is that there be scrutiny and value in that scrutiny offered by all Members. I strongly support these amendments. The flaws in this Bill would have been identified and dealt with if we had proper Committee and Report Stages. If there are mistakes in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That answers my question of how we ensure that this is a second generation piece of legislation and that we have learned things. I think the witnesses will indicate some of the issues that will address that in writing. I appreciate that. I was interested in some key points that have been raised. I refer to the relative weakness of balance between Government and Legislature here, except...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: They overlap. I am happy to let either respond.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: They overlap. One question was for Mr. Church on Government accountability and ministerial discretion in the Bill and how that can be made more robust in making it more accountable to the Legislature. The other question, for Dr. Muinzer, was on interim targets and the SDGs in the Scottish Bill. I ask the witnesses to also comment in writing on the nitrogen balance sheet which Senator...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Could Dr. Muinzer comment on the sustainable development goals, SDGs, and the nitrates balance-sheet in a written follow-up?