Results 4,841-4,860 of 8,220 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Members of the European Parliament (23 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I extend a warm welcome to all of the MEPs, including our former Civil Engagement group, CEG, colleague, Ms Grace O'Sullivan. There are a few areas of interest that are very important, some of which have been covered previously by Senator Gavan, such as the TRIPS waiver. The MEPs will be aware that this House unanimously called for Ireland to support the TRIPS waiver. It was deeply...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Members of the European Parliament (23 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I apologise for going over time. I have so many questions.

Seanad: Citizens' Assemblies: Motion (23 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Citizens' assemblies are an incredibly powerful tool. They are less powerful than the tool of proportional representation, which is the greatest political innovation that Ireland can bring to the world. Confidence in citizens' assemblies depends on their being taken seriously. For example, it will be vital that we see in the next two years actual constitutional referendums coming out of...

Seanad: Citizens' Assemblies: Motion (23 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On biodiversity, I understand some of the hesitation of Senator Kyne because four years ago, when he was a Minister of State, we were looking at legislation on biodiversity. Again, are we kicking this further down the road? Citizens' assemblies are powerful not as a tool of delay, evasion or moving a topic out of the realm of power it is in but when we use them to confront and engage in the...

Seanad: Coroners (Provision for Jury Selection) (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (23 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I apologise for being brief in my comments, but I wanted to contribute as I was very moved. Senator Boylan has championed this issue so passionately and consistently. She has raised it in every aspect and has looked, campaigned and pushed for justice. I want to commend Senator Boylan, in particular, on this issue. It is one of the issues of genuine heart, love and drive for justice that I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have just a couple of questions. Mr. Finnegan mentioned better co-operation between national authorities. Domestic co-operation also seems to be key. In that context, Mr. Finnegan mentioned co-operation between the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Department of Justice. In fairness to the Minister of State responsible for heritage, Deputy Noonan, he has...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Senator McGahon’s point on having a lead agency is a good one. I was wondering which body would have primary responsibility. I want to follow up on two or three words. Mr. Finnegan referred to the idea of tightening the offences. While he said the offences will still be unlawful, I am a little concerned that the tightening of offences might mean excluding certain things that would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I want to confirm that we can get a little more information in writing around environmental impact assessment resources. It would probably be a very poor mark for Ireland if we tried to opt out of progress on environmental legislation, whatever about the UK. I do not think we should use any threat of that to dilute ambition collectively in Europe. That would certainly not be something we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: To be clear, I was not saying that it might be deleted. My concern is that we might seek to dilute it. We should be part of it. In further, we have committed to being part of improving standards. I do not want to delay things further, but I ask for clarification in writing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I asked for details on how to support EIAs. When the absence of them becomes a criminal penalty, we will of course need to make sure we know about the public resources to support EIAs, how they have changed in the past year or two and how it is planned that they will change in the future.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: You are right, Chair, that there are so many interesting questions arising from this discussion already. Deputy Cronin's framing of this is really useful, and I think it would be useful if that were the framing at EU level. We should start mentioning green hydrogen every time we mention hydrogen. One of my concerns relates to the issue of green hydrogen and the important role hydrogen can...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I believe we should be giving a political contribution in relation to this matter because alarm bells are ringing around 2049. If we are signing contracts on fossil fuels up until the year before we are meant to be at net zero, it could be seen as very bad faith. We have seen rapid changes in ambition over the last few years and we would effectively be in a situation where we have contracts...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Chairman and Senator O'Reilly covered a few of the points I was hoping to raise. One relates to LNG. It is positive that there is an inquiry and a focus on emissions at production point, as the witnesses mentioned. It is in line with some of the scoped rethinking around emissions captures. There is huge concern around methane emissions from fracking, in particular. It is the question...

Seanad: Situation in the Middle East: Statements (1 Mar 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Others have outlined what the Amnesty report tells us, which is how systematic the measures are, what the dismantling of equality looks like, and what the crowding out of the space for a population within a territory means. We come into this House, again and again, when we see attacks on Gaza and the West Bank and when we see another round of bombings but what has happened in between is so...

Seanad: Situation in the Middle East: Statements (1 Mar 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We can first apply the kinds of sanctions that have suddenly become possible. We know these are possible under the Rosneft ruling. In terms of the occupied territories, we should not be trading with settlements. That law is very clear. This should not even be a question of sanctions because occupied territories are not legally part of the supply chain. Ireland can take a lead on that and...

Seanad: Situation in Ukraine: Statements (1 Mar 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Mention was made of which side people are on. Ireland, very clearly and correctly, is on the side of international law, humanity and peace. That is our record, and where we come in and add value in situations such as this. It is entirely consistent with that position that we express, directly and clearly, our solidarity with Ukraine, as Ireland has rightly done and as we will with a motion...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 Mar 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: As someone who has had the honour of being on the walls of the National Gallery of Ireland as part of a temporary exhibition and as somebody who cares a lot about procurement, I join Senator Warfield in pointing out that there are other options. There is space within procurement law. It is not the case that EU procurement law requires us to give contracts to all. We can, in fact, include...

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion (2 Mar 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Civil Engagement Group usually brings forward legislation and not motions. We chose to bring a motion forward because we realised we were coming again and again to the issue of housing through many different pieces of legislation and policy debates. It has been a core concern for everyone in Ireland and for our group, particularly those who are most marginalised within the discussions...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Linda Ervine to mark Seachtain na Gaeilge (3 Mar 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh Linda chuig Seanad Éireann inniu agus aitheantas a thabhairt don obair thábhachtach atá ar siúl aici le bunú Turas agus Naíscoil na Seolta. Tá sé léirithe agat gur meán í teanga inar féidir pobal a aontú. Sin mar is féidir dul chun cinn a dhéanamh agus léas a thabhairt...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Linda Ervine to mark Seachtain na Gaeilge (3 Mar 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The work you have done in recognising what language means, what it can do and how it can be a measure of connection in communities is so important. That is also important in this House because one of the themes of our centenary is minority voices. The Seanad has a record in minority voices, both in terms of voices from unionist traditions and minority voices championing the language. That...