Results 2,921-2,940 of 8,483 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Section 21 repeals a number of really important provisions in the principal Act and the original measures we had for substitute consent.I will not go through all of them but I signal I may bring forward amendments on Report Stage on the specific different provisions being repealed in this section. While I will oppose the section which relates to the repeal of a group of provisions of the...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Why is it inserted in the Bill? If it is such a terrible thing that nobody wants to use, we could easily remove that.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This is additional. This is what is getting added in. It is not getting added because nobody wanted it. Basically, it means this goes straight to An Bord Pleanála. Of course, people can apply through the normal process and that is already there. This is a different route that is being inserted. If it is such a terrible route that nobody would ever want to take, why have it in the...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have an amendment coming up that will allow for the issue to be surveyed and then, good or bad, for the consequences or the impacts to be assessed.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 13: In page 14, between lines 34 and 35, to insert the following: “Report on substitute consent 23.The Minister shall, within 18 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining- (a) the number of applications for substitute consent received in the preceding 18 month period which were made and the number granted...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: When the Minister replies to me and Senator Boyhan, he might comment on my concern as to whether the information would be available. Would information on things like the relevant exceptional circumstance in relation to each successful application be available? Perhaps it would. I ask the Minister to indicate whether he is confident that all of the three relevant items of information would...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: No, given the Minister of State's engagement and his indication that he is confident that such information will be made available, I will withdraw the amendment.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 14: In page 14, between lines 34 and 35, to insert the following: “Report on implications of Act 23. The Minister shall, within 6 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining the implications or impact of this legislation in respect of: (a) the powers of local authorities in respect of the substitute consent...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would like to respond very quickly. It would be useful to have, between now and Report Stage, a note on the normal enforcement powers. Local authorities can give an input into An Bord Pleanála, but they will not get to start the process of a substitute consent application in the same way they will have been able to. That is the key concern here. In terms of local development plans,...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Bill is not reported. I wanted to have a vote.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Built Heritage Protection) Bill 2022: Second Stage (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister of State. I know that this is an area of great personal interest to him. I join others in complimenting Senator Norris. Today is Bloomsday. One of the lines in Ulyssesreads: "The supreme question about a work of art is out of how deep a life does it spring." The work of art that is the portrait of Senator Norris springs from a very deep life, and this legislation,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have been following the debate with interest. I had planned to come in remotely but that did not work out. I am torn because I have two separate sets of questions that seem contradictory, which is the nature of these issues. One set of questions intends to move away from the money; the other intends to look in great detail at the money. There must be an acknowledgement that care...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We were meant to have a statutory entitlement to home care but it was not delivered. I used to sit on the disability committee, which I had to give up to come to this committee. It seems the debate has moved on from personal needs assistants. That was in the recommendations of the citizens' assembly, which referred to that choice of care.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: My question was about the lack of individualisation, for the record.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would add a note of optimism because I think you can in fact measure quality, but it has to be done in a different way. It cannot been done through a grid. There are the technical specifications or requirements and then it is just done on price. That is the lowest-price approach. The model in the Netherlands, which is the model I am trying to bring in in Ireland, uses price and quality...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am looking at the 2016-2017 system, which there are attempts to commercially undermine.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That would be useful.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is definitely 100% the better, and this is also what citizens are looking for with public provision. Professor Lynch is right.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I like what the Professor has said about it being relational rather than transactional. With regard to nursing homes, there is an issue that has not been raised but it did come up with the Committee on Disability Matters. If we do bring in these rights to care, it is important that when we start providing personal needs assistants, home care or community care that those who are in nursing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We should follow up on the algorithm because there are new EU directives around automated decision-making and artificial intelligence. It is really important that we try to push back on that point. If Mr. Dunne wanted to provide something in writing, that would be useful.