Results 1,221-1,240 of 8,196 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: International Protection (Family Unification) (Amendment) Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (7 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will be brief, as the final comment will be from my colleague, Senator Kelleher. I commend her on her extraordinary work in bringing this important Bill through the House, and I thank everyone in the House who has supported it. Mine is a simple and small point. There is no limitation on being good and delivering our targets. The Minister of State referred to the European target of...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 8:In page 16, line 11, after “purpose,” to insert the following:“and at least one of whom has expertise and/or experience in representing the interests of students, nominated by the student union,”. Senator Ruane had hoped to be here today to speak on the amendment as she has strong feelings on this issue. Amendments Nos. 8 and 11 are...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the indication that the Minister of State would like to see competency in the field of student representation as one of the competencies to be considered. I also note her recognition that there may be a role on committees to be established by a governing body for student representatives or additional student representatives, particularly in dealing with issues that have a direct...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 11:In page 16, line 39, after "purpose," to insert the following:"and at least one of whom has expertise and/or experience in representing the interests of students, nominated by the student union,". We have already discussed the amendment.

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 12:In page 19, line 23, to delete "university, and" and substitute the following:"university,(b) respecting Ireland’s commitments under the 2001 Prague Communiqué of Ministers of Education in Europe and subsequent communiqués, one fifth of the members of the academic council shall be students of the technological university, and". Amendments Nos. 12 to...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Amendment No. 12 provides that Ireland's commitments under the 2001 Prague communiqué of ministers of education in Europe and subsequent communiqués will be respected. To reflect these commitments, one fifth of members of the academic council should be students of the technological university. Since 1999, Ireland has been a leading member of the Bologna Process and a number of...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The hope is that, as well as being in line with the previous Universities Act, we will try to move the standards upwards. The Minister of State does not envisage the situation arising, but I would have liked us to have prevented it. I have an overall concern, on which I will not elaborate and which does not relate solely to the Minister of State, about Ireland being in a position to make...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am sorry; I am not pressing amendment No. 12 which relates to the Bologna Process. However, I hope to have further engagement with people involved the sector in that regard.

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 13:In page 19, to delete lines 33 and 34 and substitute the following:"(iii) at least one undergraduate and/or postgraduate student of the technological university, nominated by the student union in accordance with its own procedures,".

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 14:In page 19, line 34, after “appropriate,” to insert “but not less than 2, nominated by the student union in accordance with its own procedures,”.

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Given the outcome on amendment No. 13, I will withdraw the amendment, but we will have to return to the issue if any situations arise where there is an exclusion of students from academic councils.

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 15:In page 22, line 29, after “policy” to insert “and procedures”.

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The amendments relate to the equality statement. Having worked in a number of sectors prior to my time in the Oireachtas and participated in the development of numerous equality statements, I am conscious that there is a spectrum of practice. In the amendments we are seeking to give guidance to ensure the highest standards in the equality statements that might be brought forward. They take...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister of State for her response. She takes these issues seriously and is committed to gender equality. As we are all aware, we are having this final debate on International Women's Day. It is important that a clear message be sent out through the processing of this Bill that academic life is one of the many sections of Irish life in which the full and equal participation of...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes. In light of the expectation that the reports will be published, I will not move amendment No. 18 either.

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 24:In page 30, between lines 24 and 25, to insert the following:“(l) the applicant institutes demonstrate to the satisfaction of the advisory panel that the applicant institutes have—(i) a published strategy in place on their mechanisms and procedures for compliance with both Irish and European Data Protection regulations, and (ii) a published strategy in...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This amendment relates to the area of data protection. We are very aware that the general data protection regulation, GDPR, is being discussed in the Oireachtas and that there are very serious requirements in respect of data protection. This area is not very much reflected in the Bill. I know that in the wider data protection Bill all public authorities and the universities will have...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Of course the GDPR will be the law of the land, but my point is about ensuring that there is appropriate discussion across the sector, not just on how the letter of the law is fulfilled but in terms of driving good practice, perhaps even above and beyond the GDPR. Will the Minister of State indicate whether she expects that these universities will be publishing clear strategies that students...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (8 Mar 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: No. I will withdraw my amendment but I hope that I can engage further with the Minister of State on this area.