Results 6,221-6,240 of 8,235 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: EU Directives (30 Nov 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This effectively includes the actors but not their products. The products are where the money is. I noted from one of the reports on Ireland's submission to the early negotiation process – I appreciate that the process has moved on since – that Ireland raised concerns about the significant administrative and cost burdens on, for example, pension schemes. This is where the...

Seanad: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2022: Motion (30 Nov 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I echo the calls on the Minister to consider or accept some of the amendments that have been tabled by a number of groups. I have my own amendments, which I will go through one by one. Constructive proposals have been put forward by other parties. If accepted, they would mean we will be in a better position next year. I say that after a number of years of rolling through this issue....

Seanad: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2022: Motion (30 Nov 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I apologise. I would like the Minister to look at amendment No. 6 as a constructive proposal for more community engagement and making this a more meaningful fund in terms of horse racing.

Seanad: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2022: Motion (30 Nov 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 4: To insert the following after "October, 2022": "; - that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine shall, within 3 months following the passing of this motion, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining the manner in which the obligation for rehoming under section 29 of the Greyhound Racing Act 2019 is being complied with".

Seanad: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2022: Motion (30 Nov 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 5: To insert the following after "October, 2022": "; - that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine shall, within 3 months following the passing of this motion, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining the potential for future regulations to split the Horse and Greyhound Fund into two separate funds".

Seanad: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2022: Motion (30 Nov 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 6: To insert the following after "October, 2022": "; - that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine shall, within 6 months following the passing of this motion, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining the manner in which the operation and dispersal of the Horse and Greyhound Fund has reflected the obligations under section 42 of the...

Seanad: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2022: Motion (30 Nov 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 7: To insert the following after "October, 2022": "; - that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine shall, within 6 months following the passing of this motion, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining the potential for a dedicated portion of the Fund to be allocated towards community projects which involve the care and protection of animals".

Seanad: Comhshuí de Dháil Éireann agus de Sheanad Éireann - Joint Sitting of the Houses of the Oireachtas - Address by H.E. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission (1 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome President von der Leyen to the Oireachtas on the 50th anniversary of Ireland's accession to the EU.One important early benefit of accession was the impetus it created for more progressive national policies in areas such as gender equality, the environment, employment, ending the marriage bar and the working time directive. That version of Europe, as a collective momentum for the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Role of Media and Communications in Actioning Climate Change: Discussion (29 Nov 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank our guests for this interesting discussion. I would challenge the point in respect of education a little. Information and education are not the same thing. If we consider learning from information or even previous educational interventions, an example might be that I learned about box files in school but I do not use box files. Nonetheless, some of the ideas and attitudes that may...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Role of Media and Communications in Actioning Climate Change: Discussion (29 Nov 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Am I out of time?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Role of Media and Communications in Actioning Climate Change: Discussion (29 Nov 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will finish with a very quick point, on greenwashing. I would like to hear a little more about how we can resist that. Do we have regulations in this regard? Is it about regulating the phrases and language being used? I would also like to hear a comment on the disinformation that comes with greenwashing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Role of Media and Communications in Actioning Climate Change: Discussion (29 Nov 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is not just about the different communities but also about the different sectors. I gave examples of very large industries. It is telling that when we started talking about businesses, we started talking about incentivising them, whereas businesses need to be told. People need to see them being told. I do not mean small businesses but businesses such as the private-jet rental system,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I formally object to the Order of Business and in particular to the sitting arrangements for Thursday. That is in respect of the-----

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes, it is tomorrow but the motion is being taken today. I formally object to the inclusion in the Order of Business of the motion in respect of the sitting arrangements for Thursday. I will object to the motion on the sitting arrangements in due course. This is in the context of the Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022, which is being pushed and rushed through. It...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move recommendation No. 6: In page 66, between lines 8 and 9, to insert the following: “Report on wealth tax 25.The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the potential revenue raised from, and distributional impact of, a wealth tax of 1 per cent on all households with assets of over 10 million...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister for his response. I will continue to pursue the issue because it is significant. I am glad we are getting more data. That is progress. I am aware that our transfer system does redistributive work regarding our extraordinary high levels of income inequality. In this regard, there is a discussion to be had on the Social Welfare Bill, which is touched upon. I would be...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move recommendation No. 7: In page 66, between lines 8 and 9, to insert the following: “Report on private pension tax reliefs 25.The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on private pension tax relief including: (a) an assessment of the cost to the exchequer; (b) a comparative gender analysis of tax...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes but some 70% of the benefits go to the top 20%-----

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The key point is the cash, which the Minister himself mentioned. The fact is that 70% of the money - an extremely large amount of money - is going to the top 20%. The fact that smaller amounts are going to the majority of people in that scheme should not be used as a shield for what is effectively a trickle-up effect. The cap is clearly not adequate if 70% of the benefit is going to top...

Seanad: Statements on COP27 (8 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Prior to discussing COP27, I echo the points made by Senator Chambers on the western rail corridor. The climate committee in our transport report was very clear that the form of cost-benefit analysis used to justify removing it did not reflect climate, the environment or all of the benefits that accrue.Especially given the world's limited supplies of lithium, we cannot think that we will...