Results 261-280 of 8,553 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (18 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: There is no requirement for implementation, however.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the witnesses. I agree. Ireland has had actual impact and credibility when it has taken action. I sat through two Oireachtas terms during which we were told we were trying to get people on board very slowly and when nothing was done, no legislation was moved forward and the occupied territories Bill and others were delayed. In fact, the situation deteriorated during that period....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Israeli Bond Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: My specific question was not about that ruling but around the risk piece. We were told by Mr. Makhlouf that in the end, whether Israel can pay back bonds was the question the Central Bank was asking. If there is a risk of those bonds being paid back from moneys that are gathered in revenue from illegally occupied territories, where does that come into due diligence? We have heard...

Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (18 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I do not see a mechanism in the omnibus-----

Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (18 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Perhaps I could just get one line on the climate fund.

Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (18 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Literally-----

Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: The Work of Dóchas: Discussion (17 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This is earlier than I expected to speak. I would like to begin where Ms McKenna left off in terms of the question about the multi-annual financial framework and the transactional point that was made. One of the things we are very proud of in Ireland, and it is really important, is the principle of untied aid. We are engaging in this for humanity rather than to further our interests in...

Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: The Work of Dóchas: Discussion (17 Jun 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: To build on that point, how important has Ireland's neutrality and principle-based approach been in terms of acceptability, access and credibility? That is, Ireland being a neutral country and operating a principle-based rather than interest-based foreign policy. At a time when the need is so high and the crunch is so hard on every area of aid, what is the importance of still having...

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

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will wait until after the permanent members.

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

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes, thank you.

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.