Results 6,101-6,120 of 8,553 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Engagement with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (20 Sep 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: As somebody who submitted all of those points when the CRU was conducting the review, as many others did also, it is unfortunate that we are the situation we are in now, where we do not have any hard measures. That is regrettable.

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (21 Sep 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yesterday, the Minister spoke about wanting future legislation that deals with students' unions. If the desire to move forward is to be credible and if we are to strengthen how we think about students' unions and their role, it is important that we not move backwards. The Bill refers to a student member on the boards of governance. There is a danger that this will be a backwards step. The...

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (21 Sep 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I second the amendment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Sep 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The ESRI clarified that even where there were hour reductions, research shows employees' wages stayed the same. They may have been working slightly fewer hours but they received the same or greater pay than previously. That is important to note. It is useful to clarify that we already have a mechanism for companies that show an inability to pay. It is time we moved past the anecdotal...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Sep 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Sep 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have a follow-up question on pensions in the context of what ICTU is saying about them. It is not so much about what the Government or others are saying. We know that tax relief at a marginal rate predominantly benefits men. There is talk of increasing the number of years of contributions required. When the requirement for contributions was increased in the past, it pushed a huge number...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Sep 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am conscious that the witnesses were invited to speak on other recommendations and perhaps we could get a follow-up to this question in writing. The cohort Dr. Bambrick mentioned is very specific. Massive changes are proposed, as has been mentioned. Unless people have a large number of paid contributions, they will not be able to actualise their care contributions. The threshold has...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Sep 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: With regard to the number of years, the key question will be how many credited contributions. I am sure this can be included in the detailed answer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Sep 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am excited about the focus on flexibility and the four-day week has been mentioned. We know that the right to request remote work Bill has gone through pre-legislative scrutiny. I agree with the principle that we do not want to have a two-tier approach on flexibility. The citizens' assembly recommended flexible working in the wider sense and not solely remote working. Should we try to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Sep 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Will anyone comment on the progression piece? We focus a lot on entry and women in leadership roles. However, we know from when Athena SWAN tried to transform the university sector, much attention was paid to the mid-level roles. As part of the terms and conditions that unions can help, enhance and improve, it is about ensuring there is gender equality around the rungs on the ladder.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Sep 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I like how Mr. Joyce referred to their "own style of leadership". It is not just about women going into leadership but leadership itself being redefined.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank our guests. I have lots of questions. It is a point worth making that we have had this delay factor from IBEC, unfortunately, on lots of factors of progress. I was looking at it historically and one of the things that came up is that the Federated Union of Employers opposed the granting of equal pay in principle and had to be forced to change that position through a sit-in at its...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Did we not see during the recession, for example, lots of employers pulling out of the joint labour committees, JLCs, for key sectors? We had cases where we had sectoral negotiations under way and the employers pulled out. Employers should not be able to pick and choose whether to engage in sectoral discussions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will raise a new point. It was interesting to hear in respect of the right to remote working that it would be the exception to justify a refusal of it rather than just the right to request. Will the witnesses comment on the right to disconnect as potentially an important part that links with that? There have been concerns about the overtime expectations that sometimes come with remote...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will ask a tiny additional question because Ms Buckley has reminded me of something important, that being, the phenomenon of hostile scheduling. Women with teenagers and so on have often spoken about being slightly better paid and slightly further up the ladder but sometimes getting pushed out by aggressive scheduling. Union membership can help to alleviate this.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Staff are also dealing with higher energy costs.

Seanad: Breastfeeding: Motion (12 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I warmly welcome the motion and congratulate Senator Pauline O’Reilly on it. It is great. It is very long - at three and half pages - because it is filled with practical, specific and real measures that could be implemented and would make a great difference to women and to breastfeeding. As the Senator has mentioned, the recommendations in the motion relate to matters like...

Seanad: Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Second Stage (13 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will be brief because I have several amendments that will give me an opportunity to discuss the specific issues. As said by others, it is right to recognise that many households are facing an emergency regarding energy costs but I believe more could and should be done to ensure that while we address the energy crisis, we also address the associated crisis, namely the climate crisis, and...

Seanad: Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: These are good amendments. It is interesting that in the amendments there is a recognition of some of the nuance on this issue. As I mentioned previously, a decision was made in May this year, which was when the energy crisis was well flagged and very much under way. There was a clear understanding that by May energy companies were making large profits and were not struggling in any sense...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Committee Stage (18 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Strong cases have been made by Senators McDowell and Ward. This area is not my focus, which tends to be on human rights representation and the very important layperson's perspective. I have always been an advocate in general, in all areas of public service, for 360° references, whereby not just those who have worked above a person but also those who have worked below and alongside him...