Results 2,281-2,300 of 8,482 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is the narrative. My experience is they are the same actual physical people.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Sinéad Mercier has models on Spain. It is the just transition dialogue approach again. Where just transition has worked well has been when it was at a community-level dialogue upwards, rather than looking to big industries such as the machine-rental industry and agribusiness. Just transition is not necessarily for the shareholders in those companies. It is for the community including...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: If we are getting that feedback, it would be useful in terms of the engagement of PPNs with Departments to see interesting and practical ideas around some of the new structures and other elements for strengthening the channels of input, for example, the weird gap between the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will begin with pensions and then move on to some wider issues. While benchmarking and indexation of the State pension would be welcome, the concern relates to who will get the full pension. Changes were made to the State pension system in 2012. As of a couple of years ago, two thirds of those receiving the full contributory pension were men, with women making up only one third of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is a 30-year requirement on that total contributions approach.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Mr. Lawler said less than half of women are qualifying for the full contributory pension under that system.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is still very significant. Our remit here is gender equality and making sure we do not embed further gender inequality. We are talking about a situation where less than half of women are qualifying for the full contributory pension, so, on that point on benchmarking and indexation, if people are on a reduced rate, they will be below whatever the benchmarking and indexation rate is in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is very notable as it is almost exactly the same figure that we are spending on private pension tax relief. Has there been a comparative gender analysis of the gendered benefits of a universal pension costing €2 billion to €3 billion versus the private pension tax relief, which costs almost the exact same amount per year?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Was it correct that the Commission on Pensions did not look to, if not removal, then removal or reform of that private pension tax relief? We know there is research that it predominantly benefits men on higher incomes and the Department might confirm that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: And a gendered analysis generally on the gap between the 20 years recognised for care that I had asked about and the 40-year threshold. I am concerned that only 20 years are recognised for care but we have moved to a 40-year contributory requirement. I want to know how that gets bridged. I also want to know if there has been a very robust gender analysis of all of these measures, including...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That does not cover private pensions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: There was the final question on what is the Department's plan in regard to the gap between 20 years of care credits being recognised and a 40-year requirement for contributions. Of course, a 20-year working requirement is actually more than we had in 2012.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: There is a three-quarter level piece if we look at the ten-year or 20-year contribution whereas previously, a person only required a total of 20 years' contributions. Now, at 40 years, to get the full pension, a person has to have a 20-year employment contribution record or he or she needs this particular narrowly applied scheme.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am happy to let others come in and then I might come back on the other payments.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have two sets of questions and I may kick off where Deputy Clarke left off, around lone parents and the child maintenance review group. Given that the report has been ready since April, it would be useful if it was to be published. I request that it be published in the next month or so in order that we can incorporate it into our report because it is extremely relevant. Given that the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I suppose that is where the gender analysis comes in. Probably the most relevant part of individualisation is ensuring an independent source of income rather than having one person in the household in financial control who is effectively determining the finances. We are comfortable, it seems, with a private pension tax relief, which is predominantly going to men and those on higher incomes....