Results 1-20 of 8,482 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: To add a comment to the other topics, in relation to the electricity connections, we need to talk a little bit about data centres given the rolling cuts we all saw yesterday and the fact we have had a massive escalation in energy and electricity demand from it, over 200% of an increase. It is an elephant in the room and it needs to be addressed. Even in Portlaoise, where there is apparently...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (10 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have a number of key concerns on the Bill and the context in which they sit. I feel there is also an element of us having been here before in the shocking announcement that was just made of the intention to add last-minute major and substantial amendments, changes in our planning laws put in at the very last minute just before a recess, and to ram it through without proper democratic...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (10 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Speculation is rewarded by this Government and that is not what delivers houses. This is the same mistakes again and again from the same false principle. It is a disservice to the public.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (10 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have gone on but I will say we are being denied time to properly address this, with this poor democratic practice of bringing in this bad proposal at the last minute. By the way, it will require fire safety and health certificates and will delay planning permission that is ready to go. All of those processes around fire and health certificates will have to be done. We are actually...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (10 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: A Chathaoirligh, I was misquoted. I said that was the case in some instances. For clarity.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (10 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: A Chathaoirligh, if something is being asked to be withdrawn, I will have to ask-----

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (10 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have been directly challenged and asked to withdraw a comment.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (10 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: To be very clear, what I said was that it was 40% and it was in some instances, whereas the Senator has twice now - if he examines the transcript, he will see what is correct-----

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (10 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes, and at that point, I would like Senator Blaney to withdraw his remarks.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (10 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I look forward to Senator Blaney withdrawing his comments at that point.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (10 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am sorry, I am not going to be misrepresented.

Seanad: Pregnancy Loss (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Second Stage (9 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I join others in commending a very good and necessary Bill, as has been said. It is very good and well drafted legislation, with real nuance and sensitivity in how it approaches the issues, and goes through the kinds of policy points highlighted by groups and academics and addresses every concern section by section and line by line. I know it may seem kind of cold to go to the quality of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It was very useful to hear about the Rosneft case, which was a really interesting example in terms of the clear precedent it set on the question of public policy involving both goods and services and, indeed, compliance with international law being considered as an appropriate use of the public policy grounds. I want to talk about a related issue, namely, the question of the primacy of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Certainly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I ask Professor Koutrakos to clarify whether the exceptional ground, as he understands it, mentioned in Article 347 of the TFEU is designed to deal with situations where the public policy exemption has not proved adequate to provide another reaffirmation of that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Perfect. My time is coming to an end. I want to go to Professor Butler, but I will add to my question. Will he speak on that, but also on another key question. Perhaps others will have a chance to come back in. The idea of a bad legal precedent has been mentioned. If we were to bring in a poor version, that is, if we bring to the Court of Justice of the European Union, for example, a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It could also be good precedent.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I think we had said we would go to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I want to follow up on some of the questions I put earlier to Ms Ní Ghrálaigh, Professor Tridimas and Professor Koutrakos. We have heard that there is a clear arguable case and nobody disagrees that there is an arguable case. We then come to the question of testing it. Ireland has with, I think, nine other countries written publicly that its understanding of the ICJ advisory...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I also asked about the strength of the case.