Results 1,581-1,600 of 8,196 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: Second Stage (12 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am supportive of the Bill. I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for bringing it to the Seanad. The Bill is important for several people. I know that some individuals have spoken about the sense that they have been pulled away from work that is important to them through the mandatory retirement age and cut off, in some cases, in terms of their contributions. While I welcome the...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: Second Stage (12 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I appreciate that. I also appreciate that there is a concern regarding pension payments and superannuation and valid points were made in that regard. My concern basically was that we should not prohibit job-sharing on any basis. For many people it is going to be about finance. Others are really dedicated to their work. They may wish to continue with that work and will want to contribute....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Barnardos and Society of St. Vincent de Paul: Pre-Budget Discussion (12 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the witnesses for their presentations and for the work both organisations do on an ongoing basis. It is very important, as is their policy engagement. I particularly commend the Vincentian Partnership's minimum essential standards of living work, which has been a service to all of us as policymakers but also right across the sector by itemising the costs of living. What it shows...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Barnardos and Society of St. Vincent de Paul: Pre-Budget Discussion (12 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: A separate commitment is required in that area.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Barnardos and Society of St. Vincent de Paul: Pre-Budget Discussion (12 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Does the unavailability of the ECCE scheme during the summer have an impact on families?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Barnardos and Society of St. Vincent de Paul: Pre-Budget Discussion (12 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the delegates for their excellent and clear answers to questions. They spoke more eloquently than I about extending the jobseeker's transition payment and addressing anomalies in order that people would be given real options in making good choices. Something that crops up repeatedly is a request that people can access good quality employment and avail of back-to-education schemes....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Pre-Budget Discussion: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (25 Sep 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister for joining us and her contribution. I will focus on some of the issues that have arisen. As a number of the questions I would have asked have been addressed, I will try to build further on them. As the Minister knows, I long advocated in my previous life for an increase in the home caring credit in the context of pensions, with reference to the 20-year provision....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Pre-Budget Discussion: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (25 Sep 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Minister could follow up on the matter.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Pre-Budget Discussion: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (25 Sep 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: While we might not be wedded to it, we previously committed to having a 30-year threshold as part of the national pension framework. I am sure we will have an opportunity to debate both this issue and the public services card more substantially.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Pre-Budget Discussion: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (25 Sep 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: May I correct the record on one small fact?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Pre-Budget Discussion: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (25 Sep 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I think the private pension tax relief was €2.6 billion, from the figure the Minister gave me previously.

Seanad: Electoral Commission: Statements (27 Sep 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister of State. We spoke on these issues previously. I think it was in December 2017. I thank the Minister of State for his statement. The proposal for an electoral commission has been on the table for a very long time. We have had not one but perhaps two new generations of voters who have grown up while this issue continued to be considered. As such, I really welcome...

Seanad: Mental Health (Renewal Orders) Bill 2018: Motion for Earlier Signature (3 Oct 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Senator Devine indicated that she wanted to speak.

Seanad: Mental Health (Renewal Orders) Bill 2018: Motion for Earlier Signature (3 Oct 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: She did so at the end of the debate on the Bill.

Seanad: Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (3 Oct 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will comment briefly on this because it is a new amendment. I do not have a counter amendment. Concern has been raised about the single customer view dataset associated with the public services card, PSC. The Minister of State referenced the PPSN but the single customer view dataset is wider than that. The issues are subject to some debate around interpretation. I refer to special...

Seanad: Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (3 Oct 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Those issues will arise but I expect they can be debated in the Dáil.

Seanad: Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (3 Oct 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Can the Acting Chairman clarify whether we are also speaking to amendments Nos. 16, 22, 24, 34 and 82 in this group?

Seanad: Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (3 Oct 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister of State and I acknowledge that there have been some significant steps forward on this, notably the provision in his amendment No. 2, which makes it clear that nothing in this Bill, except Parts 5 and 8 and Chapter 3 of Part 9 shall apply to special category personal data alleviates many of the amendments. Many of my amendments were submitted prior to the Government...

Seanad: Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (3 Oct 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On the basis of the Minister of State's clarification of his acceptance of amendment No. 8 I will not move amendment No. 7.

Seanad: Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (3 Oct 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 8:In page 10, line 3, after "identity" to insert the following:"excepting such parts of that public service identity which constitute special categories of personal data".