Results 1,541-1,560 of 8,196 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: National Archives (Amendment) Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (5 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will go straight back to amendment No. 7.

Seanad: National Archives (Amendment) Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (5 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I very strongly support amendment No. 7. I support amendment No. 8 as well but amendment No. 7 is absolutely pure common sense and should be accepted by the Minister. Amendment No. 7 addresses the part of the Act that says where we have records the Minister is satisfied are of significant historical or public interest and where he or she is also satisfied the transfer of those records will...

Seanad: National Archives (Amendment) Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (5 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: National Archives (Amendment) Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (5 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have a question. Are we completing Final Stage directly after this?

Seanad: National Archives (Amendment) Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (5 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Can Senators speak on Final Stage?

Seanad: National Archives (Amendment) Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (5 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Senator can make comments on Final Stage.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Search and Rescue Missions in Mediterranean and Migration Crisis: Médecins Sans Frontières (5 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the witnesses both for their powerful testimony and their ongoing work. The information they have provided is stark. What is also stark is that we were warned about these things and they have been signalled for a long time. As Deputy Ó Snodaigh said, they were signalled when Ireland decided to change its approach. We ask whether ships with these goals make a difference. We...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 26:In page 11, line 22, after "expenses" to insert the following:", including expenses for such training as might be appropriate to the functions of the Commission,". Personally I would have seen these amendments as being somewhat connected in a potentially complementary way.Amendment No. 26 seeks to ensure that, inasmuch as expenses are being provided for, there are...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Amendment No. 29 relates to the question of external supports, so both amendments relate to that question. However, I will not divide the House.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: If we wish to take them separately I am happy to do so.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: If that is the preference of the House.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Amendment No. 26 is designed to ensure that lay members who may be appointed to the commission are given and have access to the supports or training they may need in respect of the delivery of their functions within the commission. This is to ensure there is a mechanism which, while recognising that lay members appointed by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC, may have...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the support I am hearing from across the House for the amendment. I will make a couple of points of useful clarification. It does relate to lay persons, in response to Senator Norris's question, because where my amendment is inserted is subject to subsection (2) which sets out the exclusion of a number of members who are effectively not lay person members. My proposal in terms of...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will quickly address one or two of the points. On the question of the independence of the commission in recognising its functions, that maybe applies anyway. My amendment is very much in the framing that is already there in respect of expenses paid by the commission for a level of such expenses that the Minister may determine. My amendment does not in any way take from the independence...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Minister said he intends to come back with a proposal in respect of the training. Of course, it needs to be the commission that determines that, but the commission needs to be given the flexibility to respond to individual needs as well as facilitating, for example, group training in things like the GRECO guidelines and so on. I will not press the amendment further at this time but I...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I wish to speak in favour of the amendment.While I have been supportive of the Government in a number of the votes, and in respect of aspects of the Bill, and I have not always been in agreement with my colleague, Senator McDowell, I believe he is completely correct that this amendment is of deep concern. It has to be revisited and I very much urge the Government to agree to its removal and...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (10 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister. I will touch briefly on a couple of the amendments I tabled. Amendment No. 32 is a technical amendment on the role of the Minister in triggering the selection of a lay person by the Public Appointments Service. Amendment No. 35 is more substantive and it may not have been entirely clear what my intention was. I suggested in this amendment that the members of the...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (10 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I do not believe any critical reference was made either by Senator Ruane or myself to the Public Appointments Service at any point in our contributions lest there be any misconstruction on that. I outlined a few roles I thought it might play regarding the proposal I made. The Public Appointments Service plays a role in nominating the potential members of commission and that is reflected in...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (10 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have made my points.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (10 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will withdraw it and reserve the right to resubmit it on Report Stage.