Results 4,801-4,820 of 8,220 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Safe Access to Termination of Pregnancy Services Bill 2021: Committee Stage (10 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 9: In page 4, line 32, after “of” where it firstly occurs to insert “supporting access to or”. With amendment No. 9, I am seeking to ensure that somebody who might be accompanying somebody else - for example, a spouse - would not inadvertently fall under the text of the Bill. However, I am happy to withdraw the amendment now and address...

Seanad: Safe Access to Termination of Pregnancy Services Bill 2021: Committee Stage (10 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I assure Senator Mullen that he is safe in his coffee shop. That is not covered by the legislation and such a situation would not arise. The meaning of the phrase "express or demonstrate" is very clearly, and in a nuanced way, set out and categorised under subsection (2). The latter describes exactly what is included, for the purpose of subsection (1), within the phrase "express or...

Seanad: Safe Access to Termination of Pregnancy Services Bill 2021: Committee Stage (10 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Advising and seeking to influence are at issue but it is not around a person expressing his or her views. Anybody can sit in a coffee shop and express his or her views but not with the intention of either influencing or intimidating another person. The issue is spelled out in some nuance and with some thought and detail under subsection (2).

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I commend the Cathaoirleach and all of the staff and others who were involved in today's launch of Seanad 100. It is an exciting year ahead and it is interesting to be looking back at the past 100 years. There have been some very strong contributions and inspiration from speeches from former Senator Mary Robinson and the current longest serving Senator, Senator David Norris. I rise to ask...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That it not be taken today or that it not be taken without debate.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Apologies. I ask that it would be postponed to another day, and not taken today.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am open to other suggestions from the Leader.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Formally second my amendment.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes.

Seanad: Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Bill 2022: Second Stage (15 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the fact that we are taking action by way of an intervention in terms of electricity. I understand the case the Minister made in that this is a measure he wants to move on speedily and the logic that was presented. I have no doubt it will make a big difference to many households. I would not diminish the impact it may have but I would point out, whatever about the speed that is...

Seanad: Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Bill 2022: Second Stage (15 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: For clarity-----

Seanad: Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Bill 2022: Second Stage (15 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I said the overall retrofitting scheme did not do enough to target those on lower incomes.

Seanad: Report of Joint Committee on the Carbon Budget: Motion (15 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I see that the Minister is staying. I thank him for doing so. We have all been waiting a long time for the national carbon budgets. Like everybody else, I am very keen to see them implemented and to see a new, harder, firmer structure to our climate ambition. We have a duty, however, to make sure we get the budgets right, and we need to be very clear that getting them right does not delay...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 1: In page 5, line 24, to delete “This Act” and substitute “Subject to subsection (3), this Act". Amendment No. 1 facilitates amendment No. 2, which proposes the insertion of a substantial new subsection into the Act. The subsection proposed in amendment No. 2 is a longer amendment than I would usually submit. That is because there is a...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is what it says. Unless it is a certain size, there are certain trees that can be planted, and, just to be clear, there is also the description of a "native tree area". That is still a forest under the EU definition of "forest". The Forestry Act is also very clear that a threshold of anything under 0.5 ha can still be a forest. The EU forestry strategy is clear that is a forest. We...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: With respect to the Minister of State, the fact is a scheme will come after the legislation, whereas we should be looking at that before we pass the legislation. We talk about enabling legislation, but to enable us to trust the legislation, we need to know exactly what we are signing off on. While I do not doubt the Minister of State’s personal interest in native forestry, the fact...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would point out that the issue is precisely the fact that things might get taken out. I do not think we want to see anything taken out through a scheme, we want to see the measures that are necessary and that are basic in the law. It is precisely because of that idea of the Minister of State going back and forth taking things out. One can add extra provisions or protections through...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Just before I do that I will point out to the Minister of State that I could have added in a number of factors to amendments Nos. 1 and 2. I did not put in everything. There are many things I could have put in. I really have put into this amendment the minimum that should be required and I will reserve the right, on Report Stage, to put in the other factors that I think we should be...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 2: In page 5, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following: “(3) Section 9 shall not be commenced until the Minister has laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas: (a) a report on areas where there are sensitivities where unlicensed planting would not be permitted, including on— (i) area sensitive for biodiversity, (ii) areas sensitive for...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will be brief because I want to speak to some of the same issues, but I will speak them under section 7 because that is where a lot of the detail about the transition is. We have to do more to make it just. I refer to this section because it is around the animal welfare component. I would note that this the Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill. A Bill...