Results 3,001-3,020 of 8,196 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Quality in Public Procurement (Contract Preparation and Award Criteria) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (18 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The other option is to amend it on Report Stage. Perhaps it would be useful if the Minister of State indicates whether his preference is for "shall consider" or "may comply" because-----

Seanad: Quality in Public Procurement (Contract Preparation and Award Criteria) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (18 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Perfect. In that context, I am happy to withdraw my amendments with the agreement that we put it forward as worded by the Minister of State on Report Stage.

Seanad: Quality in Public Procurement (Contract Preparation and Award Criteria) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (18 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I note the guidelines on social considerations proposed in this Bill would complement and expand those contained in the 2019 circular. I was very actively engaged with the OGP at that time on the development of that circular because I also dealt with legislation on these issues in the period of the last Oireachtas. I understand and appreciate the situation in respect of emergency provisions...

Seanad: Quality in Public Procurement (Contract Preparation and Award Criteria) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (18 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: In that case, I withdraw my amendment with the indication to come back with the revised wording as discussed.

Seanad: Quality in Public Procurement (Contract Preparation and Award Criteria) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (18 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 2: In page 8, line 37, to delete “comply” and substitute “consider”. Again, there is agreement to come back with a revised wording.

Seanad: Quality in Public Procurement (Contract Preparation and Award Criteria) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (18 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Next Tuesday.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank our guests and as I am conscious of the limited time, I will ask four sets of questions. First, I will ask about an area of concern, that is, the permitted use constraint on which we have heard multiple interpretations here. I believe it was mentioned by one of the speakers today that this related to ensuring that this would be a maternity hospital. However, as there is language...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: My time is limited so I am not interested in hearing the history of the phrase. I am interested in hearing the position of St. Vincent's Healthcare Group. At this moment there have been calls for the phrase to be defined and removed. What is the group's position on both aspects?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is useful to know. We then come to another question of interpretation. In his opening statement, Mr. Menton indicated that the values of St. Vincent's Healthcare Group could not be interpreted as relating to a different ethos but values are, of course, interpreted. That is the nature and it is the job. I note that Professor Deirdre Madden and others specifically stated that boards do...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Sorry, just to be clear but legally permissible is separate. The reference is to the hospital being established under a clinically appropriate and legally permissible framework. We can take that as legally permissible but I am asking about the interpretation of the phrase "human dignity" as, for example, it might apply to "clinically appropriate".

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I gave two interpretations of the phrase "human dignity". The first is from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and refers to human dignity as beginning from birth. The second was from the universal declaration of human dignity, which refers to every single human being from conception.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I understand that but Ms Reynolds can see what we mean by interpretable. Those are two different interpretations of that phrase, both of which are in the public domain. She will see why it would be relevant. Perhaps she will follow up in writing regarding what the definition is, given that in one definition it begins specifically at birth and in another it specifically begins at conception.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That value is interpreted in relation to patient care and decisions in respect of that, which would impact on the ethos. I note that this is what Professor Deirdre Madden and others identified, namely, that ethos does matter. The new constitution dating from April of this year refers to the "voice of the voiceless". I want to understand how the St. Vincent's Healthcare Group, which will...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It will be nominating members to the new proposed national maternity hospital body-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This is why it is relevant how St. Vincent's Healthcare Group interprets these values.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: No, not the holding company but in fact the national maternity hospital DAC.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The witnesses may follow up in writing. We did not get much of a sense of how the voice of the voiceless argument might be interpreted. That is fine. It is another example of why removing "clinically appropriate" might be useful. Do the witnesses think it is a little excessive to have three members of the St. Vincent's Healthcare Group on the board of this new entity? It is the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It creates a tension, however, because the national maternity hospital is effectively there as a tenant of a landlord. Having the landlord chair the board of the tenant seems to create somewhat of a tension. I just might two or three points on the contract.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will give Mr. Menton a chance to answer a couple of questions at the same time. I would appreciate a response on the issue of the chairmanship. On the 30-year option for the State, why not 70 years? We have been told 70 years is the expected lifespan of the first hospital, so why not have 70 years in terms of that first lifetime? Would that not give some more security to the State that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: New National Maternity Hospital: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Mr. O'Rallaghaigh mentioned his concerns in relation to selling the freehold to the State. Would that not also apply to selling it to someone else? If it only applies at this point before the hospital is built, then why not continue to have a first refusal on the freehold for the 70 years of the first hospital?