Results 2,321-2,340 of 8,768 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Engagement with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (31 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: So, having no credit record is not a barrier?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Engagement with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (31 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The programme for Government already existed at that point. Our guests have talked about demand growth. We are hearing demand reduction mentioned. The witnesses mentioned legislation. Do they have any further written notes on legislation anticipated in one of the areas of the commission's work plan for 2023? There has also been a lot of talk about demand growth and how that growth will...

Seanad: Wind Energy: Statements (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister to the House. I was going to begin by outlining the broader context of the discussion in terms of the urgency of the transition that is needed. The sixth interim assessment report from the third working group of the IPCC, published last April, made it very clear that there is no space for continuing with fossil fuel expansion or the continuation of fossil fuel...

Seanad: Wind Energy: Statements (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: -----as well as substituting wind energy and accelerating our full exit from fossil fuels and fossil fuel dependence. The deployment of renewables for large energy users alone, Professor Daly noted, is unlikely to prevent scenarios such as gas lock-in or to ensure we do not breach our sectoral emissions ceilings. She points again to the need for mitigating measures around demand reduction....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Economic Issues: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will follow up on a couple of points that were flagged earlier. One that I was a little concerned about was with regard to digital finance and cryptocurrencies. In his reply to one of the other members, Mr. Makhlouf spoke about the need to support innovation. Looking again at the mandate of the Central Bank, however, it does not have a mandate in innovation or supporting industry. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Economic Issues: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes. I wish to follow up on a few matters. First, that did not really answer my question as to what the input has been in respect of that European regulatory development. I am aware that the Central Bank supports the Department. The mandate of the Central Bank is to contribute to the development of sound rules in respect of the European regulatory process.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Economic Issues: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Since the Central Bank is supporting the Department in that trilogue process, I am seeking to discover what Ireland has been bringing to the negotiations. I am very concerned there may be a bit of a divide and conquer in that we have heard a lot of talk about crypto not being appropriate for retail customers. The point is, however, that in the last crash, it was not retail customers who...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Economic Issues: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have two further questions-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Economic Issues: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: -----and I have waited a considerable amount of time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Economic Issues: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I can ask my two questions and get the answers to all three if the Chair so wishes

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Economic Issues: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Certainly. My other questions-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Economic Issues: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: -----relate to two other areas. Quite a short answer could be given to the first of them. We saw the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, speak recently about the fact, on which the witnesses themselves have commented, that monetary policy is now tightening in that money is more expensive. One of the things he said was that this is impacting on mortgage holders, businesses and the Government....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Economic Issues: Engagement with Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Sorry. I was saying that it is not the need in terms of a year-to-year need for borrowing but in terms of the opportunities - for example, the opportunities for borrowing for infrastructural expenditure or social housing and so forth. Has an opportunity to access money at a lower rate been missed? I presume that it was predictable that money would not stay available at such a low rate for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Deputy. I also thank the witnesses. I will pick up Deputy Shortall's point about section 10 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. The Deputy gave very good and recent examples of where section 10 does not seem to be considered by the Garda to be an adequate basis for action in situations where what clearly looks to be harassment of people, be they recent migrants...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It would also be very useful to clarify why, if section 10 is adequate, it has not been used for the past years because it has not been used in that context. I do not agree that section 23 in the new legislation will address that. My other issue relates to the concern by An Garda Síochána, which I think was valid, around the lack of clarity in the confiscation of phones or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I was going to say that it might be that it only needs to be provided in part of it. It is important that there is a proper balance in the confiscation of phones and so forth.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is clear which specific behaviours it might be related to. Regarding the trade unions, the witness will be aware that I was, along with many others, one of the co-sponsors of the Private Members' Bill. One thing we had looked for was clarity in ensuring that trade union protests, as we have seen across the water recently, outside hospitals, would not be in danger of falling into or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On the issue of signage, I was a little concerned about it. There are pluses and minuses to it. In one way it can send a signal. There are the maps. I refer to it creating an element of deniability. For GPs the idea of having to acquire signage outside what are, in some cases, their homes as well as their practices, may become an onerous thing. I can see a role for them in hospitals and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On the deniability, is there a danger of people saying, "I did not see the sign and therefore...", whereas the 100 m is pretty clear?