Results 641-660 of 8,196 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Under head 3, I echo the concern raised by Deputy Brady about maintenance payments. This is an issue the committee has been looking into. In some cases the inability to secure maintenance payments has proved detrimental to the payments that people receive, including jobseeker's payment as well as the one parent family payment. That needs to be considered if we are to be sure we are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: What is the situation with jobseeker's payments?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I also mean public services. I believe that a public service card will now be required to apply for a driver's licence.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Can we expect new public bodies which will be permitted under legislation to use the public services card may to make it mandatory?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I appreciate that it is a process that is increasingly being used as more bodies become involved and that the public services card is effectively an identity card. However, that is the subject of a wider discussion.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On the endangerment of the publication of addresses and the issue of public messages - a very negative action - Mr. McKeon has suggested the campaign might encourage people to come forward and rectify the position, but I do not believe the message is targeted at persons who may be concerned about overpayments.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: There is a direct correlation with the headlines used about migration, for example, and the concrete, measurable increase in the level of racist crime. What measures are being taken to address potential endangerment arising from the publication of addresses?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome there has been an attempt to address the issue. Last year, I proposed a Report Stage amendment to the Social Welfare Bill in respect to a similar scheme. This particular approach has been taken because I identified the concerns about solvent firms. One of the criteria I suggested is such a firm would not be able to close a defined benefit scheme until it had reached 90% of its...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: No, but it may come up in an amendment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am simply flagging areas of future concern.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: One of the concerns raised around pension equality was-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We will get a written reply on that. That is fine.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is the same point covered, essentially.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have a brief technical question on the public services card. Under the legislation there needs to be a justification for each use or sharing of data. I ask the officials to confirm that there has been a justification process which is accessible in respect of the extension of information to each new body.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Is the rationale for necessity available?

Seanad: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (13 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On a point of information, and this is a factual point, none of the amendments "require", they are all voluntary in their scope.

Seanad: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (13 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is regrettable that the Minister is unable to take these amendments on board. Post-adoption contact plans are a reality. In addition, anything that is dealt with in a culture of secrecy, non-acknowledgement and non-transparency with regard to children in Ireland is a bad idea. All the experts and groups across the board, including Barnardos, the foster carers of Ireland, who are the...

Seanad: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (13 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 3:In page 8, after line 40, to insert the following:“(7) The Authority shall ensure that those considering adoption are provided with—(a) information on options and best practices regarding post-adoption voluntary contact plans, and (b) information on relevant post-adoption services and supports.”.

Seanad: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (13 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 4:In page 11, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following:“(h) the existence of, or proposals for, any contact plan, and”.

Seanad: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (13 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 13:In page 12, between lines 34 and 35, to insert the following:"Information on post-adoption supports 10. The Principal Act is amended by the insertion of the following after section 19:"Information on post-adoption supports 19A.(1) The Child and Family Agency shall publish guidelines in relation to best practices around post-adoption voluntary contact plans. (2) The...