Results 5,661-5,680 of 8,235 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Amendment No. 14 is about timeliness provision where an investigation into a protected disclosure has been received by the commissioner. I am trying to ensure we do not just have the initial communication or that where ongoing communication is being processed, we do not have the processes dragging on forever over extremely long periods of time. These periods of time can cause quite a lot of...

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would have preferred my specific provision on the time period and final closure, but I will withdraw my amendment pending how the use of those clauses work out, which the Minister has outlined. It would have been my preference to have a clear time period.

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 15: In page 50, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following: “(2) The Principal Act is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 12: “Protection of reporting persons 12A.For the avoidance of doubt and without prejudice to natural justice, any investigation carried out under this Act shall not involve a person named in...

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Minister has indicated he will address it in terms of the definition of "impartiality", and it will be important to be clear in that regard, even in a small organisation. If the case involves a small organisation where three or four persons are named, in certain cases an external investigator may be required, but I appreciate that others may be named but not be the core focus of the...

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 17: In page 57, between lines 34 and 35, to insert the following: “Public information campaign 31. The Minister may, subsequent to the passing of this Act, hold an accessible public information campaign in respect of the role of whistleblowing in the advancement of the public good and the mechanisms by which someone may make a protected disclosure and the...

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank Senator Buttimer for picking up on an important aspect of the language in my amendment, namely, accessibility.

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is worth noting that not all protected disclosures are made by lawyers or people who have read the legislation. In some cases, the person may not even be aware of the legislation. The reason I regret that the amendments concerning managers were not accepted is that it is often people at a lower level in organisations who have a strong personal ethical sense. That comes at every level...

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is why people should be allowed to make an anonymous disclosure and focus on where it should be, which is on the subject matter that is being raised. I look forward to engaging with the Minister of State, even if he cannot support my amendment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have been following the debate with interest. I had planned to come in remotely but that did not work out. I am torn because I have two separate sets of questions that seem contradictory, which is the nature of these issues. One set of questions intends to move away from the money; the other intends to look in great detail at the money. There must be an acknowledgement that care...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We were meant to have a statutory entitlement to home care but it was not delivered. I used to sit on the disability committee, which I had to give up to come to this committee. It seems the debate has moved on from personal needs assistants. That was in the recommendations of the citizens' assembly, which referred to that choice of care.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: My question was about the lack of individualisation, for the record.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would add a note of optimism because I think you can in fact measure quality, but it has to be done in a different way. It cannot been done through a grid. There are the technical specifications or requirements and then it is just done on price. That is the lowest-price approach. The model in the Netherlands, which is the model I am trying to bring in in Ireland, uses price and quality...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am looking at the 2016-2017 system, which there are attempts to commercially undermine.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That would be useful.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is definitely 100% the better, and this is also what citizens are looking for with public provision. Professor Lynch is right.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I like what the Professor has said about it being relational rather than transactional. With regard to nursing homes, there is an issue that has not been raised but it did come up with the Committee on Disability Matters. If we do bring in these rights to care, it is important that when we start providing personal needs assistants, home care or community care that those who are in nursing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We should follow up on the algorithm because there are new EU directives around automated decision-making and artificial intelligence. It is really important that we try to push back on that point. If Mr. Dunne wanted to provide something in writing, that would be useful.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 5: In page 22, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following: “(3) Where the Commission enters into contracts or appoints persons as consultants or advisers, a record of such contracts and consultations shall be kept and laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas on a bi-annual basis.”.