Results 201-220 of 8,482 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. I want to go back into the text of the Bill before us. There are a number of aspects of how it is framed that are quite concerning and I would like to unpick some of them. I might begin with Professor Murphy who is also a former peacekeeper of some standing, since we are mentioning that.

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Professor Murphy mentioned the ambiguous language around the kind of force to which we might be deployed. We heard terms like not just EU-led and NATO-led but coalition of the willing from the Department of Defence in its testimony last week. Will he comment on the concerns about the kind of force and the lack of any clear guardrails about what kind of force or who we may partner with?...

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The testimony from Dr. Devine is very clear. If the primary rationale being presented for the removal of the triple lock is that we are being limited in our capacity to engage in peacekeeping and being blocked at the UN in that UN peacekeeping is being hamstrung or limited, is there a danger that by removing the triple lock, we move to a point where Ireland is less engaged in UN...

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It was on monitoring. There is a monitoring structure within the UN.

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This is a related question. In that section of that Bill, head 6, there is reference to the principles of the UN Charter and the principles of justice and international law but there does not seem to be a mechanism as to who will interpret them, how they will be interpreted or applied, and even for a member of the public, recourse in relation to those matters. That seems to be a very woolly-----

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: A related piece, which comes back to the disarmament piece, is that Ireland negotiated the global ban on cluster munitions. We have seen now that Lithuania has exited it. Two EU countries are planning on leave the convention related to the use of landmines. We are looking at situations where, potentially, we could be involved. Am I correct? There is nothing in the legislation that seeks...

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I wish to clarify something quickly-----

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I just did a fact-check. Regarding emissions, Dr. Devine is right and it is 5.5% of carbon emissions internationally, at a minimum. She said that the EU said it will not seek a UN mandate.

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It does not need to seek a UN mandate for battlegroup deployment.

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: There might not even be a sense of wanting to use this in situations where we are being blocked and, since the legislation allows, deployment not simply in situations where a UN veto is an issue but in any situation without concern about whether or not a UN mandate is sought.

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This might be answered in writing afterwards but, on Senator Kyne's other point regarding the UN General Assembly, the 2006 Act is quite widely worded in how it allows Ireland to act in response to a UN General Assembly resolution. It uses about seven adjectives. It mentions forces supported or encouraged by the assembly. We are out of time but I would be interested in a response in...

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We are allowed to act on General Assembly resolutions, however.

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Or an informal coalition.

Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am thankful for the support and engagement I have received as a member of the foreign affairs committee. One of the key issues we had was the potential overreach in the context of maximum harmonisation, such as if a ceiling were to be set. We have heard about that issue. I will go back to what the then Minister of State responsible, Deputy Calleary, said about the CSDD and CSR...

Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will get my answers. As I understand it, the committee can also make a political contribution directly to the Commission. Separate to the Council negotiations, there is capacity for parliamentary input.

Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I was lucky to take part in the Future of Europe process over the past few years, which included 800 citizens from across Europe and a number of parliamentarians. One thing that was interesting was the issue of ethical supply chains and business, which came across from all of kinds of groups, including the business group, the environment group and the social group. The message that the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I wish to refer to what Deputy Cian O'Callaghan brought forward. The preamble of the prospectus regulation clearly states: "This Regulation respects the fundamental rights and observes the principles recognised in particular by the Charter of Fundamental Rights". The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union includes the line "the indivisible, universal values of human dignity,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: So the Central Bank has not looked to that preamble in terms of its interpretation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Central Bank of Ireland (11 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Article 6, the one you said you were focusing, includes as one of the factors for consideration the reasons for the issuance. This is one of the factors the Central Bank is obliged to consider. It states the regulation should be interpreted and applied in accordance with these rights and principles. When considering the reasons for the issuance in relation to the Central Bank and the...