Results 3,341-3,360 of 8,196 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Energy - Ambition and Challenges: Discussion (1 Mar 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It was specifically for the ESB on how it interacts with EirGrid.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Energy - Ambition and Challenges: Discussion (1 Mar 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Perfect.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Energy - Ambition and Challenges: Discussion (1 Mar 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Ring-fencing is a good idea in that regard.

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Members of the European Parliament (23 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I extend a warm welcome to all of the MEPs, including our former Civil Engagement group, CEG, colleague, Ms Grace O'Sullivan. There are a few areas of interest that are very important, some of which have been covered previously by Senator Gavan, such as the TRIPS waiver. The MEPs will be aware that this House unanimously called for Ireland to support the TRIPS waiver. It was deeply...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Members of the European Parliament (23 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I apologise for going over time. I have so many questions.

Seanad: Citizens' Assemblies: Motion (23 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Citizens' assemblies are an incredibly powerful tool. They are less powerful than the tool of proportional representation, which is the greatest political innovation that Ireland can bring to the world. Confidence in citizens' assemblies depends on their being taken seriously. For example, it will be vital that we see in the next two years actual constitutional referendums coming out of...

Seanad: Citizens' Assemblies: Motion (23 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On biodiversity, I understand some of the hesitation of Senator Kyne because four years ago, when he was a Minister of State, we were looking at legislation on biodiversity. Again, are we kicking this further down the road? Citizens' assemblies are powerful not as a tool of delay, evasion or moving a topic out of the realm of power it is in but when we use them to confront and engage in the...

Seanad: Coroners (Provision for Jury Selection) (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (23 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I apologise for being brief in my comments, but I wanted to contribute as I was very moved. Senator Boylan has championed this issue so passionately and consistently. She has raised it in every aspect and has looked, campaigned and pushed for justice. I want to commend Senator Boylan, in particular, on this issue. It is one of the issues of genuine heart, love and drive for justice that I...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will follow up on my colleague, Senator Flynn's points in terms of public transport. Research from the UK has found that bus drivers have higher levels of Covid-19 deaths than other occupations. We also have research that found that 41% of people polled said they were less likely to use public transport after the pandemic. I am really concerned that removal of masks as a requirement on...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Second Stage (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister to the House. She can hear the interest in this Bill as it is discussed. For a long time there was a little bit of complacency among some of the major players in the tech industry around the idea that they would always be slightly ahead of Government and regulation and that this was an area of such complexity. I remember being in a situation once when I was told that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have just a couple of questions. Mr. Finnegan mentioned better co-operation between national authorities. Domestic co-operation also seems to be key. In that context, Mr. Finnegan mentioned co-operation between the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Department of Justice. In fairness to the Minister of State responsible for heritage, Deputy Noonan, he has...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Senator McGahon’s point on having a lead agency is a good one. I was wondering which body would have primary responsibility. I want to follow up on two or three words. Mr. Finnegan referred to the idea of tightening the offences. While he said the offences will still be unlawful, I am a little concerned that the tightening of offences might mean excluding certain things that would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I want to confirm that we can get a little more information in writing around environmental impact assessment resources. It would probably be a very poor mark for Ireland if we tried to opt out of progress on environmental legislation, whatever about the UK. I do not think we should use any threat of that to dilute ambition collectively in Europe. That would certainly not be something we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: To be clear, I was not saying that it might be deleted. My concern is that we might seek to dilute it. We should be part of it. In further, we have committed to being part of improving standards. I do not want to delay things further, but I ask for clarification in writing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I asked for details on how to support EIAs. When the absence of them becomes a criminal penalty, we will of course need to make sure we know about the public resources to support EIAs, how they have changed in the past year or two and how it is planned that they will change in the future.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: You are right, Chair, that there are so many interesting questions arising from this discussion already. Deputy Cronin's framing of this is really useful, and I think it would be useful if that were the framing at EU level. We should start mentioning green hydrogen every time we mention hydrogen. One of my concerns relates to the issue of green hydrogen and the important role hydrogen can...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I believe we should be giving a political contribution in relation to this matter because alarm bells are ringing around 2049. If we are signing contracts on fossil fuels up until the year before we are meant to be at net zero, it could be seen as very bad faith. We have seen rapid changes in ambition over the last few years and we would effectively be in a situation where we have contracts...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Chairman and Senator O'Reilly covered a few of the points I was hoping to raise. One relates to LNG. It is positive that there is an inquiry and a focus on emissions at production point, as the witnesses mentioned. It is in line with some of the scoped rethinking around emissions captures. There is huge concern around methane emissions from fracking, in particular. It is the question...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 1: In page 5, line 24, to delete “This Act” and substitute “Subject to subsection (3), this Act". Amendment No. 1 facilitates amendment No. 2, which proposes the insertion of a substantial new subsection into the Act. The subsection proposed in amendment No. 2 is a longer amendment than I would usually submit. That is because there is a...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (16 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is what it says. Unless it is a certain size, there are certain trees that can be planted, and, just to be clear, there is also the description of a "native tree area". That is still a forest under the EU definition of "forest". The Forestry Act is also very clear that a threshold of anything under 0.5 ha can still be a forest. The EU forestry strategy is clear that is a forest. We...