Results 2,541-2,560 of 8,196 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am less confident following the Minister of State's reply given we have been told there are so many functions for the new electoral commission that it cannot take on the Seanad. There is not even a promise that the commission will engage with this issue. Rather, we are being told the reform of the Seanad franchise is not even being considered as part of the agenda for the electoral...

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 28: In page 31, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “(2) Upon its establishment, the Commission shall be charged with responsibility for undertaking an expedient wholesale review of the Electoral Act 1997, including, inter alia, the Act’s provisions relating to political funding.".

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will comment briefly on this section. I note that I think there is considerable detail. I do not know if we will get to the amendments on it. There are many technical issues in the amendments that have been brought forward around online disinformation, transparency in advertising and so forth, which I may seek to amend on Report Stage. I am concerned about whether the information around...

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 29: In page 31, line 18, after "publish" to insert "in plain language". Amendments Nos. 29 to 31, inclusive, are all amendments with regard to inclusion. It is important that we ensure we are expanding our democracy and expanding access to, awareness of and participation in our democracy. I should note that we have other amendments which I will bring forward on...

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is not very clear to me why the Minister of State, if he agrees with the principle that information should be shared in these various formats we have outlined and expects that to happen, will not accept the amendments. The Bill has been amended by the Government and, therefore, it is going back to the Dáil. It is not clear to me why the amendments are not being accepted. I am...

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I withdraw the amendment and reserve the right to reintroduce.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 30: In page 31, line 20, after “of” to insert “print media such as newspapers,”. I withdraw the amendment and reserve the right to reintroduce.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 31: In page 31, line 22, to delete “as far as practicable”. I withdraw the amendment and reserve the right to reintroduce.

Seanad: Electoral Reform Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Amendment No. 34 is in this group. It is a variation of amendment No. 32, with a slight change as it mentions an annual basis and an accessible format. If the Minister of State will not accept my amendment, I urge him to accept the amendments tabled by the Labour Party. They are both very reasonable and based on the same principle. The register of political parties should not have arcane...

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Committee Stage (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: With respect, people saying they are available tomorrow and on Friday is straightforwardly disingenuous. This was the first item placed on the Order Paper this year. The Bill has been on the Order Paper, ready to move, for months but it has been chosen to progress it in the past two to three weeks of this Seanad term. This is about this decision and future ones. My memory in respect of a...

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Committee Stage (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It could have been brought forward at an earlier point. The Minister is bringing it forward before the summer recess and framing it as emergency legislation while at the same time we have been told it is foundational legislation that will change the agenda for the next 50 years. If it is significant legislation that has significant repercussions and we should be allowed to debate it for as...

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Committee Stage (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I support this amendment from Senator Norris. It is very useful in that it is providing a definition in the Act of an academic member. It is important we be very clear there are academics who are manifestly part of an t-údarás, who are academics doing the work of academics - teaching or carrying out research - and who have held such posts at the time of their appointment. It is a...

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Committee Stage (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I may table an amendment on Report Stage in respect of the definition relating to the academic member to address the gender issue Senator Norris highlighted. The Minister's response indicates that we do not necessarily need people with academic experience on the board. An t-údarás is given extraordinary powers. With respect to Senator Malcolm Byrne, the Minister mentioned that...

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will be very brief because I am keen to move to the next grouping in which I have a number of amendments relating to equality. In response to the debate, I wish to correct two points that were made. First, it was suggested that the measures being put forward relate to governance and finance solely.The other suggestion is that any policies that might be relevant will be developed with the...

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I do not want to come back in. I want to move on, but I want to note that this is an inaccurate representation of what I said.

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is about putting them into legislation-----

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: -----and naming them.

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 3: In page 13, line 18, after “disadvantaged,” to insert “persons to whom the Equal Status Acts 2000 to 2018 apply to,”. These amendments all relate to issues of equality. It gives me a useful opportunity, therefore, to clarify the points that were made previously. I am not against public policy existing but to be very clear, and I was...

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I do not think we are discussing amendment No. 4 yet. It will be moved separately.

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I apologise. I was wrong. I did not actually speak to amendment No. 4. I thank the Minister for speaking to it.