Results 6,441-6,460 of 8,235 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Economic Issues: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have two further questions-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Economic Issues: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: -----and I have waited a considerable amount of time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Economic Issues: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I can ask my two questions and get the answers to all three if the Chair so wishes

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Economic Issues: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Certainly. My other questions-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Economic Issues: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: -----relate to two other areas. Quite a short answer could be given to the first of them. We saw the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, speak recently about the fact, on which the witnesses themselves have commented, that monetary policy is now tightening in that money is more expensive. One of the things he said was that this is impacting on mortgage holders, businesses and the Government....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Economic Issues: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Sorry. I was saying that it is not the need in terms of a year-to-year need for borrowing but in terms of the opportunities - for example, the opportunities for borrowing for infrastructural expenditure or social housing and so forth. Has an opportunity to access money at a lower rate been missed? I presume that it was predictable that money would not stay available at such a low rate for...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 1: In page 7, line 12, after “child,” to insert “foster parent,”. Amendments No. 1 and 12 deal with the same issue, which is the concern that some of those who are providing parental care may accidentally or inadvertently fall outside the remit of the Bill. Amendment No. 1 seeks to include foster parents within the definition of...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would appreciate that clarification between Committee and Report Stages. I am not going to press my amendment at this point but, because there is concern, it would be useful for us to be made absolutely certain that there is no inadvertent effect.

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I support the amendment. I have similar amendments, relating to another Part of the Bill, on the six-month criterion. The six-month requirement makes it less likely that people will be able to enter employment in the first place because requiring full-time availability for six months with no flexibility is exactly the obstacle for those who are parenting alone or returning to the workforce....

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Senator Seery Kearney might be correct. My amendment on the six-month period is coming later, so I am glad there is support for that principle.

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We will have a chance to discuss it later.

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 3: In page 9, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following: "(2A) Subsection (1) shall also apply to the following persons where a person is in need of significant care or support for a serious medical reason and no persons prescribed under subsection (2) have applied for medical leave for that case— (a) a niece or nephew of the employee, (b) an aunt or...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The term "cohabitant" is not always interpreted that widely, although it does cover certain households. To be clear, the provisions of the EU directive are a signal of direction, an encouragement and a move in the right direction, but they do not set a limit on what we can do. Just as many countries had much better parental leave policies than Europe required them to have, there is nothing...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The section says "a parent or grandparent of the employee".

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Bill provides for an employee to take medical care leave to care for a parent or a grandparent. It does not work both ways. It covers grandparents but not grandchildren. It covers half that relationship. I put it to the Minister that, between now and Report Stage, he should consider this and see if there is any practical reason not to do this other than that Europe is not making us....

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will withdraw the amendment and reintroduce it on Report Stage.

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is reasonable to have concern in respect of this. Requiring a medical certificate in respect of a third party creates its own difficulty but I am particularly concerned that some of the language, especially that on page 10, is a little excessive in the way it is framed. It refers to such information as the employer may reasonably require in relation to the employee's relationship, the...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: With respect to the Minister, I do not believe he has achieved that balance. The phrase he used, “the minimum information necessary”, is not in the Bill, rather it states, "such information as the employer may reasonably require in relation to ... the employee’s relationship with the person", and relationship can be construed many ways, and refers to “the nature...

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I accept most of the amendments are technical, but I want to comment briefly on amendment No. 7. Am I correct that that is in the grouping? Is amendment No. 7 separate?

Seanad: Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Committee Stage (31 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Perfect. That is fine. I will not speak to the others.