Results 2,081-2,100 of 8,482 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I join in the expressions of concern about what seems a relentless attack on the democratic aspects of our planning infrastructure. I always tell people that policy-making and politics are about the decisions we make about how we want to live together. An important aspect of the decisions about how we want to live together is that people have a say in their local development plans and in...

Seanad: Appointment of Ordinary Members of An Coimisiún Toghcháin: Motion (14 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister of State. I join others in welcoming the nomination of the four new members of the commission. I congratulate them on being successful in achieving these nominations. They bring a good and diverse range of skills which will assist the work of the electoral commission. To highlight one question, I am aware that Professor Fennell brings a particular expertise in...

Seanad: Tailte Éireann Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I wish to contribute on the back of that amendment in respect of the Land Registry. My point relates to a matter we discussed previously. The Minister of State will be aware of the key role that the PRA was likely to have played if, as planned, it had moved ahead with the proposal to have any rights of way or profits à prendrenot registered with it expire automatically last autumn....

Seanad: Tailte Éireann Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have not tabled any amendments to this section because the matter I am raising has been provided for. My concern with regard to the transfer of functions from Ordnance Survey Ireland, OSI, relates to the fact that a new board structure will come in. There will be many new ideas. There will be huge pressure in relation to property registration, in particular. Things like zoned land will...

Seanad: Tailte Éireann Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The transfer of land and other property comes up in a couple of places in the Bill. The Minister of State has heard about the value of the physical archive, and we will come to the content of the paper archive in a minute. The records are one piece. However, there are things that are not necessarily records. All archival material should be construed within the definition of "property"....

Seanad: Tailte Éireann Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: In respect of the transfer of staff, I welcome that the rights, terms and conditions of the staff will be maintained, including their superannuation, pension rights and so on. That is appropriate. I am concerned that we need to ensure that pension rights will be properly maintained. I am looking at the intersection of subsections (4) and (5) in that regard. The Bill seems to state that...

Seanad: Tailte Éireann Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Minister of State identified this section as relating to records. Records can be interpreted in a very narrow or wide way. Documents, maps and files are records, but the source documents which may have been involved in the creation of Ordnance Survey maps and materials input are also relevant. In many cases there is a huge historical archive in the process of mapmaking that OSI has...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare (Dogs) Bill 2022: Second Stage (14 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I want to begin by commending Senator Boylan on the Bill. It is well drafted and thought through. It shows the sign of somebody who has been passionate and thoughtfully engaged in issues of animal welfare throughout the time I have known her into Seanad and far beyond that. It is something that would make a significant difference. The Bill contains concrete and practical proposals. We...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move recommendation No. 1: In page 66, between lines 8 and 9, to insert the following: “Report on wealth tax 25. The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the potential revenue raised from, and distributional impact of, a wealth tax of 1 per cent on all households with assets of over 15 million...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I was not able to engage in the full Committee Stage debate, but this is one recommendation upon which I had a good exchange with the Minister. In light of that, I will not reiterate all of the arguments made previously. The concern I have is that we continue to look away from what is very much a pooling of wealth towards the top end of society. We know that Ireland has one of the highest...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On the Minister's general point, he will be aware that we are not in a position to suggest concrete amendments to the Finance Bill because of the potential cost to the State. Therefore, when we make these recommendations, in many ways we are seeking to influence next year's budget. The budgetary process in Ireland tends to focus on the reveal of budget day and the pressures in advance but...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move recommendation No. 2: In page 66, between lines 8 and 9, to insert the following: “Report on private pension tax reliefs 25.The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on private pension tax relief, specifically in relation to gender impacts.”.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We have had a lengthy discussion in respect of pension policy and private pension tax relief and whether it is an efficient use of the State's resources. It costs €2.9 billion a year when a universal pension would cost €3 billion. We had that discussion. While I may not agree with him, the Minister responded on a lot of the other aspects of the private pension tax relief....

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This matter will be discussed further. It will need more examination. With regard to the two reports the Minister mentioned, one of my concerns about the Commission on Pensions, which, sadly, undermined the effectiveness of the proposals, is that its remit explicitly excluded examining the private pension tax relief. That was particularly unfortunate because one of the tasks of the...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move recommendation No. 3: In page 103, between lines 30 and 31, to insert the following: "Report on Deferred Tax Assets 44.The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the potential for restricting banks from utilising the deferred tax assets scheme.".

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This is an issue I have raised in the past. I am merely raising it again. It is the issue of deferred tax assets. The Minister will be aware that Irish banks, for example, in 2017, one of the years for which I have figures, shaved €400 million from their tax bills by offsetting their losses from the financial crisis period against taxable profits. The shocking aspect of this is...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I do not accept that only those who are paid more than €500,000 can, for example, complete regulatory compliance. If that is the case, we have a much larger problem.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The example given was about wanting to ensure regulatory compliance and so forth. It is good the Minister has clarified that is not the case. There are people who are able to fulfil these functions. The competitive market that was mentioned, involving other banks that do not employ many people in the State but are somehow based here, may relate to a different discussion we need to have in...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister for those clarifications. I will press the recommendations.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move recommendation No. 4: In page 103, between lines 30 and 31, to insert the following: "Report on Deferred Tax Assets 44.The Minister shall, within 12 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining the potential for removing the qualification to utilise deferred tax assets from any bank which seeks to act on a removal of restrictions...