Results 4,541-4,560 of 8,220 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Do I speak to the amendments to the section now? I can come back in. The Minister can reply to the amendment and then I will speak to the section.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is fine.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 34: In page 10, to delete lines 24 to 27. This amendment cuts to one of the problems with this section. The concern of amendment No. 34 is the deletion of the new subsection (15) which it is proposed to insert into section 50A of the principal Act. I am concerned that the language in this section is inappropriate. I will speak to subsection 15 and then outline my...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Is the intention to create a dynamic whereby it becomes prohibitively expensive for applicants? If they lose in the High Court, they may be told that they cannot go to the Court of Appeal, but they must go because the other party, against whom a judicial review is being sought, may say that it wants to take it to the Supreme Court. Taking it to the Supreme Court, of course, comes with...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will echo the questions put by Senator Warfield. What projects are involved? This change does not only apply to residential developments but allows for all kinds of judicial reviews to be pushed directly from the High Court to the Supreme Court. If there is a judicial review, a process that is currently being reviewed, the appropriate place to deal with the matter is in the review of...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The section just does not stand up. There is not so great a backlog of judicial reviews in the Court of Appeal that we cannot wait one year to deal with judicial review properly through legislation. We do not need immediately to get the Court of Appeal out of the way in regard to judicial reviews. This is not housing specific; it relates to judicial reviews in general. There are many...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Looking at the amendment, it is good to see references to owner-occupiers, as long as that is additional to social housing. The Minister has been clear that this is an addition to Part V. I, of course, reserve the right to amend this new amended section on Report Stage but it is positive to be referencing owner-occupiers. There is a question of carrot or stick involved here. I understand...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 36: In page 15, to delete lines 10 to 28.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 37: In page 15, to delete lines 29 to 32.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Minister acknowledged the flaws in the SHD system. He has stated that this is a better system. This is about ensuring we move to a new system as soon and as expeditiously as possible, with all the benefits of better planning that might bring, but also ensuring that applications in the pre-planning process are rerouted into the new large-scale residential development process. It just...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 40: In page 17, between lines 8 and 9, to insert the following: “Report on vacant units in LRD development 17.The Minister shall, within 18 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining the number of completed housing units under the LRD process which remain vacant.”. This amendment and amendment No....

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: With regard to amendment No. 41, I am getting a signal from the Minister that he is willing to engage between now and Report Stage. That would be useful. Those data are crucial, whether they are put in a report laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas or before the Oireachtas joint committee. There is a piece the Minister did not address but he said there was no problem in providing...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 41: In page 17, between lines 8 and 9, to insert the following: “Report on the operation of the provisions of this Act 17. The Minister shall, within 12 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining— (a) the proportion of sites, expressed as a percentage, which have been granted LRD planning permission...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 42: In page 17, between lines 8 and 9, to insert the following: “Further transitional measures 17. (1) Where an application under section 16 in respect of the Act of 2016 is proceeded with and planning permission has been granted, such planning permission shall be revoked 12 months after it has been granted in respect of scenarios where construction of the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: My colleague, Senator Ruane, spoke about the case of Seán Binder, which is being heard today. These issues were debated in the past two weeks. Ireland stopped its bilateral search and rescue in the Mediterranean Sea. Then we joined Operation Sophia, which then stopped doing search and rescue. We warned that would happen because the then Minister of State at the Department of Foreign...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by An Taoiseach (18 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Taoiseach campaigned, as did I, for the retention of the Seanad. He will remember that the message in that campaign was "Open it; don't close it." While we have had discussion of the 1979 referendum, we have two referendums that need to be vindicated. It is vital that the 1979 referendum on the expansion of the university franchise be implemented. However, it is not acceptable that...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by An Taoiseach (18 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We need real leadership and for Ireland to take a stand. We should be saying not just that we will export vaccines but that we will allow people to manufacture them. This is a human rights test for our time, as indeed are the actions happening on Europe's borders. I ask the Taoiseach to show rights leadership at this time. Regarding all the vision we might have, I appeal to the Taoiseach....

Seanad: Companies (Emission Reporting) Bill 2021: Second Stage (24 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I know the Minister of State has been engaging very constructively with my colleague, Senator Ruane, and I commend her and both Tadhg Browne, her current assistant, and, of course, Sebastian McAteer, who has done really important work in developing this legislation. I am very proud to have this Bill brought forward in the name of the Civil Engagement Group. In the short time I have, I will...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I had hoped that the sensible amendment tabled by the Labour Party Senators might have been accepted as it is better than the current section 7 in that it addressed the issues of the duration of tenancy and sequential tenancies. It is important that we recognise Part 4 and recognise that there is a duration issue beyond the question of simply qualifying as a Part 4 tenancy. For example, we...