Results 1,661-1,680 of 8,196 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Bogus Self-Employment: Discussion (8 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Another key question relates to the engagement between the Department and the Revenue Commissioners where Revenue is engaging with a company regarding its failure to deliver its full tax component. What is the relationship with respect to the Department regarding PRSI? Can we be assured that in any deal or arrangement-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Bogus Self-Employment: Discussion (8 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: They are very brief. My other question relates to scope determinations in respect of spouses. Does that relate to an EU directive that came into force about three years ago which directed that persons in family businesses should pay PRSI in respect of their spouses? How has that been evolving and how is it being pushed forward? I will come back in if I have a further question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Bogus Self-Employment: Discussion (8 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I refer to the Department's presentation on the success of the outreach campaign. It said there was evidence that people want anonymity and fear repercussions. It is important that we do not say that we are surprised and that we do say there is disturbing evidence that has come to light in the Department's report. This should be addressed. That is why the issue I raised earlier is...

Seanad: Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill 2016: Second Stage (14 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister and the visitors in the Gallery. I wish to give the sincerest welcome to this Bill and I congratulate Deputy Pringle and his assistant, Jodie Neary, who did so much to bring this Bill through. It was an example of an Independent politician taking a global perspective, rather than a local perspective. I commend all parties, including the Government, on their support...

Seanad: Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill 2016: Second Stage (14 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am sure we will have further opportunities to discuss it. I respect the point made by my colleague, Senator Ned O'Sullivan, that we should not say or do anything that would endanger the project.

Seanad: Greyhound Racing Bill 2018: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am happy to co-sign the amendments. On traceability and registration, the substitution of the word "shall" is important because we cannot have an industry in which such things "may" be introduced. Section 28(2) also contains the word "may" where I believe "shall" should be used. I reserve the right, therefore, to introduce an amendment on Report Stage to copperfasten that provision,...

Seanad: Greyhound Racing Bill 2018: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I appreciate the Minister of State's engagement. In regard to section 29, I suggest that there are other ways. In this House we often deal with legislation which intersects with or is layered on top of other legislation. There is still scope to use the word "shall" in section 29, for example, by amending the wording to "shall make appropriate regulation". That might be a way to do it. I...

Seanad: Greyhound Racing Bill 2018: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: As I referred to earlier, I hope we will have an opportunity to look at this again between now and Report Stage. I hear what the Minister of State is saying about the importance of things being compatible with and in appropriate relationship with other legislation. This issue appears throughout the Bill. In a spirit of constructive engagement, I suggest that where the word "shall" appears,...

Seanad: Greyhound Racing Bill 2018: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It has been outlined that there are serious animal welfare concerns in respect of the use of drugs in the industry, apart from the distorting of the industry and the other effects that my colleague has outlined. I indicate my support for amendment No. 8d in particular. In section 27(3), I am concerned that at the moment it sets out that:Where a sample from a greyhound is found to have...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It was wonderful to be part of a photograph of all current and former women Members of the Oireachtas. I pay tribute to all those former women Members and the immense contribution that many of them have made to both Houses. Sunday was World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Last year 158 people lost their lives on Irish roads, which included 15 cyclists and 30 pedestrians. It...

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Second Stage (20 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Bill has many positive elements and there are sections that I commend specifically. There may be opportunity on Committee Stage to go through some of those sections. I am happy to see the narrow bands in the banded contracts. There have been some good decisions on this and that should be retained. I had the opportunity in April to launch the TASC report “Living with...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Naturalisation of Minors Born in Ireland) Bill 2018: Second Stage (21 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Senator Black is first and I will take the next slot.

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Naturalisation of Minors Born in Ireland) Bill 2018: Second Stage (21 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Will there be a second round?

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Naturalisation of Minors Born in Ireland) Bill 2018: Second Stage (21 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: There is a second round.

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Naturalisation of Minors Born in Ireland) Bill 2018: Second Stage (21 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will move to the Bill shortly. I will address the 2004 referendum first since it has been discussed. This was the first campaign that I was involved in after my return from America, where I was a migrant for many years. In the US, many of my fellow migrants had formed relationships and had children, and some were working to regularise their status. Many migrants, whether documented,...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Naturalisation of Minors Born in Ireland) Bill 2018: Second Stage (21 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: They did, absolutely. I worked for an anti-racism project when I came back which produced educational materials that were meant to be used in a small context and we were overrun with requests for them. One of the documents we produced with the Comhlamh anti-racism project was called "Myths and Facts" and was about asylum seekers. We talk about showing emotion. This referendum was loaded...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Naturalisation of Minors Born in Ireland) Bill 2018: Second Stage (21 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would be happy to rerun it but we do not need to wait for that.

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Naturalisation of Minors Born in Ireland) Bill 2018: Second Stage (21 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Another emotion which was used and activated during that referendum was hate. We saw an increase in hate crimes. An Amnesty International report at the time highlighted that African women were the largest target of hate crimes. We had numerous reports of attacks on pregnant African women in our country. That increased following the referendum and during it

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Naturalisation of Minors Born in Ireland) Bill 2018: Second Stage (21 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That was the context. We move forward now. The tide has changed. The proposed legislation respects the 2004 referendum and its spirit. As everyone in the House has acknowledged, it includes the right to provide for a route to citizenship and that is still open to us. It also reflects some understanding of the children's rights referendum which we have had since then. The principle of...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Naturalisation of Minors Born in Ireland) Bill 2018: Second Stage (21 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It depends on the status of their parents and on whether their parents are undocumented. There is a concern. There has been an identified risk of statelessness which needs to be addressed and which this legislation would help. I agree with my colleague on one issue. Discretion is good; I do not have a problem with discretion. There is a role for it in humanitarian leave to remain. It is...