Results 2,441-2,460 of 8,196 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 12: In page 29, lines 23 and 24, to delete “in such manner as the Commission considers appropriate” and substitute “in an accessible manner on a website maintained by the Commission”.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am sure the Senator was not reluctant.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This amendment, the principle of which I am sure Senator Gavan strongly supports, requires for copies of the annual reports of the commission to be laid in an accessible manner on a website maintained by the commission. A number of these amendments return to the same measures. As the Minister is aware, these are measures echoed across lots of legislation. The reason they need to be echoed...

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The question is not just best practice and whether the commission will engage in best practice, as it may choose to draw on the precedent of the Referendum Commission of Ireland, or not. The question is best practice in legislation. To put a caveat and a dilution in respect of the question of accessibility is not best practice in legislation. The Minister of State referred to where there...

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 13: In page 30, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following: “(d) to review and implement the proposals of the Seanad Reform Implementation Group and the Manning Report;”.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Amendment No. 13 mandates, as a function of the commission, that the commission would review and implement the proposals of the Seanad reform implementation group and the Manning report. Yesterday we enumerated the long process and the fact that in 1979 the public voted in favour of the expansion of the university franchise by an overwhelming majority. Again in 2015 in a campaign with the...

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I want to reply to the various points that have been made. I agree that graduates should not have a privilege over others to vote. The proposals we put forward from the implementation group sought, as far as possible without constitutional referendum, to ensure we would widen university franchise to all graduates, not just those with a degree but those with a diploma as well. That was...

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 14: In page 31, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “(i) to undertake the wholesale review of the Electoral Act 1997, including, inter alia, its provisions regarding political funding.”.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 15: In page 31, line 18, after “publish” to insert “in plain language”.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 16: In page 31, line 20, after “of” to insert “print media such as newspapers,”.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 17: In page 31, line 22, to delete “as far as practicable”.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 18: In page 42, lines 26 and 27, to delete all words from and including “(1) The” in line 26 down to and including line 27 and substitute the following: “(1) The Registrar shall maintain the Register of Political Parties and shall cause it to be published on the Commission’s website.”.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: These proposals mirror amendments put forward by our group and the Labour Party on Committee Stage. The Minister of State will recall there was strong agreement across the House in respect of the principle of these amendments. Amendment No. 18 proposes that there would be a register of political parties, that it would be published on the commission’s website and published in an...

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 20: In page 42, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following: “(2)The Registrar shall publish, on an annual basis, a copy of the Register of Political Parties in an accessible format on a website maintained by the Commission.”.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 21: In page 44, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following: “(iii)the constituencies for the election of members of Seanad Éireann.”.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 24: In page 45, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following: "(4) When preparing a report under subsection (1)(a)(iii), the Commission shall have regard to the following: (a) any alterations to the electoral franchise for a constituency of Seanad Éireann; and (b) any alterations to the criteria by which the Taoiseach may nominate a person as a member of...

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will first speak briefly to Senator Moynihan's amendments, which I support. I have participated in both Seanad and European Parliament elections. Sometimes the rules seem to be made up almost each time regarding how to approach the issues of broadcast time and so forth, so the concept of best standards in that is a very good idea. The Minister of State will also be aware that we strongly...

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 28: In page 48, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following: “(2) The Commission shall include, as a programme undersubsection (1), the subject of gender quotas at local elections, with the objective of making recommendations to the Minister outlining how this can be achieved.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 29: In page 48, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following: “(2) The Commission shall include, as a programme under subsection (1), the subject of participation in elections, with particular regard to participation by— (a) women, (b) persons with a disability, (c) persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex, (d) persons...