Results 8,041-8,060 of 8,235 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 9: In page 10, after line 35, to insert the following: “Report on extending Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment 19. The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas on options to extend access to the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment until a youngest child reaches 18 years of...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The answer the Minister has given, with respect, is simply to say exactly what I have said. She has told us what the policy is but the point is the equality issues. She mentioned that only 5% of claimants are receiving a qualified adult payment but how many are receiving qualified child payments? It would be useful to have that percentage in order to be clear on the number of persons who...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 10: In page 10, after line 35, to insert the following: “Report on Pay-Related Benefit 19. The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas on options to extend access to qualified child and adult payments for recipients of the Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit Scheme.”.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will be very brief. I support the amendments. The work on minimum essential standards of living involves some of the best and most solid and significant research that has been supported by the Department of Social Protection. Given that 2,000 goods are examined in the process, it is probably one of the best examples of addressing the cost of living, rather than some of the broader brush...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Why we probably need a new pension commission is that there was a fundamental gap. The terms of reference of the Pensions Commission excluded the tax relief on private pensions, so we had a situation where we were told that the cost of a universal State pension as recommended by the women's council and others would be €3 billion. That would be extortionate, but we know that...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Mr. Kazumi Matsui, Mayor of Hiroshima (23 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am happy to join others in welcoming Mr. Matsui to the House and thank him for his work. One of my assistants who works with me in the Oireachtas had the opportunity to meet him previously when he engaged with Irish delegates at the second meeting of the state parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in New York. I am aware of the extraordinary leadership he has shown...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Mr. Kazumi Matsui, Mayor of Hiroshima (23 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I laud Japan because its ministry of defence has a response to climate change and is one of the few militaries that properly tracks its emissions and includes them in national targets. That must be the future for all of us if we are to have a liveable planet in which we treat one another with decency.

Seanad: Amendment to Seanad Standing Orders: Motion (23 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is an important and detailed motion that sets out the full process. This would allow for this to become possible in the next Seanad. It is a useful constructive piece of Seanad reform at a time when there has been deep disappointment, not only among the Members of the Seanad reform implementation group, whom the House has heard from. Senators McDowell, Warfield and I, and others, have...

Seanad: Amendment to Seanad Standing Orders: Motion (23 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will come to my conclusion. That sent a positive signal. The reaction from people on the ground was that they saw democracy in play and decisions being made for the best. It strengthens the faith the public have in democracy when they see genuine democracy and the same principles of a secret ballot, of the best decisions, and a PR system as set out in the detailed proposal here. That is...

Seanad: Amendment to Seanad Standing Orders: Motion (23 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: When they see it in the Chamber it gives them some faith that they may eventually see it outside the Chamber and in how the Chamber is itself fully elected.

Seanad: Amendment to Seanad Standing Orders: Motion (23 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am sorry, but I just say that we will be supporting the motion.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (24 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move that No. 8 be taken before No. 1. Today I am introducing legislation relating to the adequacy of the minimum wage. I believe my colleague will be here shortly to second this amendment. I am introducing legislation in respect of the EU adequate minimum wage directive, which has been passed. A very strong and powerful campaign launched yesterday - the respect at work campaign - that...

Seanad: National Minimum Wage (Adequate Wages for Living) Bill 2024: First Stage (24 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move: That leave be given to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 to provide for implementation of Directive (EU) 2022/2041 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on adequate minimum wages in the European Union.

Seanad: National Minimum Wage (Adequate Wages for Living) Bill 2024: First Stage (24 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Next Tuesday.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister for his opening statement. I will pick up on some of the points raised by Deputy Murphy. I was very surprised to hear this narrative that we will have lots of energy down the line and so we need to facilitate large energy users now. It seems to be very much a cart before the horse situation. Surely if we are in a situation where we were to have a large amount of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: -----there are also issues in terms of the back-up gas generators. Will the Minister comment on the recommendation there should be no further gas connections given to data centres that might come through? I want to focus on two other issues. It would be really good if the committee could get it in writing that specific piece which is the employment within data centres explicitly, not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: These are two very specific points. I welcome the establishment of the just transition commission. It points to the fact of investment in areas that are employment-rich. I welcome the fact the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation in its pre-budget submission specifically mentioned the just transition commission.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Will the Minister focus on how we press for investment in jobs such as jobs in the care area, including ecological care, which will be both job-intensive and facilitate a just transition? Will the Minister comment on that? A mandate for procurement was mentioned. Is it the intention to have technical specifications around the kinds of cement or other materials, or is it the intention to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We currently cannot. That is what the statistics are saying.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Review of Climate Action Plan 2024: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (24 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On the other issues, perhaps-----