Results 4,421-4,440 of 8,220 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Report and Final Stages (3 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Amendment No. 6 relates to reporting in respect of operations. The Minister of State has indicated that a motion on secondments will be brought before the Dáil, which is appropriate, but the purpose of my amendment, which proposes that report be laid before the Houses, is to strengthen slightly the information we have and our examination of our participation.Every two years there would...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Report and Final Stages (3 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I know where we are. I have one minute or two minutes to go. I would hope to involve the Seanad directly because the Seanad has something to contribute. It would be useful if the Seanad were to have an annual discussion on these matters.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Report and Final Stages (3 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Perhaps that is something we could seek. The Seanad has an international interest and an international perspective. The Minister of State will be aware that many key debates on defence, ranging from Jadotville to other matters, have taken place in the Seanad.He will also be aware that the Seanad has a long record of human rights and humanitarian activity and motions. In fact, not just this...

Seanad: Public Transport: Motion (3 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will speak to the amendment. I thank Senator Moynihan, as well as Senator Wall who will second the amendment on her behalf.I am going to speak for a couple of minutes to my amendment and I am very keen to speak to the motion as well, which I welcome as it is a very constructive and positive one from the Fine Gael Senators. I know many of them have individually championed public transport...

Seanad: Public Transport: Motion (3 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 3: In the fourth paragraph under “acknowledges:”, to delete “to effect change in habits” and substitute “for carbon pricing to better reflect the social and environmental cost of carbon emissions and to reduce public subsidisation of the fossil fuel industry”.

Seanad: Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Bill 2021: Motion (4 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I do not object to the speedy moving of the Land and Conveyancing Reform Bill as I have called for the legislation for a year. It is important that we act before 30 November but I am not sure technically if it is necessary in the Seanad because we do not normally have the practice of pre-legislative scrutiny in terms of legislation coming to the Seanad. I do not want us to set a precedent.

Seanad: Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Bill 2021: Motion (4 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes.

Seanad: Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Bill 2021: Motion (4 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Was that to require pre-legislative scrutiny of legislation initiated in the Seanad?

Seanad: Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Bill 2021: Motion (4 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We may revisit that at a Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight meeting.

Seanad: Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Bill 2021: Motion (4 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We may need to address the matter at the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight level because I am concerned that, even in the Dáil, normally it comes in after Second Stage rather than before Second Stage of legislation.

Seanad: Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Bill 2021: Motion (4 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We may need to revisit this.

Seanad: Finance (European Stability Mechanism and Single Resolution Fund) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (4 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 1: In page 6, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following: “Report on review and operation of Act 3. (1) The Minister shall, by 31 December 2022, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas on the potential for a review of the European Stability Mechanism and its operations, including potential revisions of the Annex III criteria to better...

Seanad: Finance (European Stability Mechanism and Single Resolution Fund) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (4 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Amendments Nos. 1 and 2 cover similar ground. In amendment No. 1, I try to spell out some of the aspects more specifically. There is a slightly different piece of work being done in amendment No. 3. Fundamentally, these amendments provide for reports both on the operations of this Bill and on the operations of the mechanisms which are being updated by this legislation. The specific area...

Seanad: Finance (European Stability Mechanism and Single Resolution Fund) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (4 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I was not referring to the Covid fund but, rather, the precautionary credit line. The Covid fund was widely applicable. My point related to the previous tool, namely, the precautionary conditional credit line. I was told by the Minister's Department that approximately nine countries would have qualified for it.

Seanad: Finance (European Stability Mechanism and Single Resolution Fund) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (4 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister for his very thoughtful engagement on the amendments, as well as throughout this process. To be clear, my amendment does not relate to the Covid conditional credit line. The general escape clause was needed. If we have a stability mechanism where a general escape clause is needed, that raises questions regarding the functionality of that mechanism. However, my concern...

Seanad: Finance (European Stability Mechanism and Single Resolution Fund) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (4 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No.2: In page 6, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following: “Report on outcomes 3.The Minister shall, within 36 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas and the relevant Joint Oireachtas Committee outlining an analysis of outcomes of the European Commission’s review of the EU economic governance framework,...

Seanad: Finance (European Stability Mechanism and Single Resolution Fund) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (4 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 3: In page 6, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following: “Review of precautionary conditioned credit line 3. Where less than half of the European Stability Mechanism Member States meet the qualifying criteria for access to the precautionary conditioned credit line, the Minister or his or her representative at the Board of Governors, shall advocate for...

Seanad: Finance (European Stability Mechanism and Single Resolution Fund) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (4 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 4: In page 6, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following: “Report on European Commission review of EU economic governance 3.The Minister shall, by 1 December 2021, provide to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach an outline of any proposed submission Ireland will make in relation to the European Commission...

Seanad: Finance (European Stability Mechanism and Single Resolution Fund) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (4 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: There are a couple of versions of this amendment. Three, rather than two, amendments have gone in. Effectively, these amendments relate to that process the Minister rightly highlighted is happening, and is important, which is the European Commission's reinstated review of EU economic governance. Again, I know we cannot have a situation whereby we require the Minister to have agreement and...

Seanad: Finance (European Stability Mechanism and Single Resolution Fund) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (4 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Unfortunately, I am not making this in simply a precautionary manner but because there has been a lack of engagement on some important decisions, most notably the recovery and resilience strategy. Ireland is one of only seven countries in the European Union that did not have parliamentary scrutiny or debate on our plan for recovery and resilience. That is a fund of €850 million,...