Results 3,461-3,480 of 8,196 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I appreciate that and I have read the report. That is why I am concerned as there are lacunae in it. As I said, the elephant in the room relates to other areas of expenditure. Much of what the commission did was calculating how we would pay for this. The very large figure of €2.9 billion is not financially justifiable in the other part of our Exchequer's expenditure and was not...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 9: In page 16, after line 31, to insert the following: “PART 3 REPORTS Report on one-parent family payment 24. The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas providing an assessment of how the income disregard in respect of the one-parent family payment intersects with the rising cost of living,...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 13: In page 16, after line 31, to insert the following: "Report on cost of disability 24.Within six months of the passing of this Act, the Minister shall publish a report outlining proposed actions in response to the findings of the Indecon report on the cost of disability and proposed timelines in respect of such actions.". What are the grounds for ruling out...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will speak to amendment No. 13 before speaking to the wider section. This amendment seeks a report on a report but it is the mechanism we have when we have concerns relating to reports and we want to know what will happen with them. The Indecon report is very long-awaited and I sit on the committee dealing with disability matters. The Minister is aware that we have been pressing strongly...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Is this the appropriate point at which to speak to section 24?

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am a little concerned that some of my other amendments were ruled to be outside the subject matter of the Bill. I will follow up on the matter. It is not an issue for the Acting Chairperson. However, we are talking about the Social Welfare Bill and the matters provided for in social welfare legislation. I know that a couple of the areas I have highlighted are directly provided for in...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will do that. It is not a concern for the Minister but it is an important point in terms of the operation of work in this House. The issue of bogus self-employment is important. The Minister knows it has been looked at and examined. How do we now look backwards at situations where tests cases may have been used? How can those who may have been affected appeal? I know this is an...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: While people can use the card, as the Minister acknowledged, it is important that they are not required to. It is also important that the alternative should not be unduly onerous or punitive. People should not feel disadvantaged and feel they are being given a particularly difficult route if they choose not to opt for that route. That is also very clear in the ruling from the Data...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Personal Transport for People with Disabilities: Office of the Ombudsman (16 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Ombudsman and welcome him back. We have taken on our previous engagement with him and we have been pressing in regard to the Wasted Lives report. I have had the opportunity to meet the next Ombudsman through the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure Reform and Taoiseach. At that committee I was glad to see there was a commitment to follow through on all the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Personal Transport for People with Disabilities: Office of the Ombudsman (16 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank Mr. Tyndall.

Seanad: TRIPS Waiver: Motion (15 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move: “That Seanad Éireann: notes with concern: - the ongoing global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic; - the lack of equitable access to vaccines for many countries in the global south, particularly African countries; - that it is an injustice that only 5.88% of people living in Africa are fully vaccinated and only 27% of healthcare workers across Africa are fully...

Seanad: TRIPS Waiver: Motion (15 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister of State for his response. I sincerely thank colleagues from across the House for their engagement on this issue. I thank them for their heartfelt, genuine and intellectually rigorous contributions. So many of the points I wanted to make about why compulsory licensing does not work were made extremely well by others, including Senator Garvey. This is a crucial...

Seanad: Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021: Committee Stage (14 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 1: In page 16, to delete line 5 and substitute the following: "(6) The following limitations apply to the discretion of the Minister to commence by order the operation of provisions of this Act— (a) Chapters 1and 3of Part 9shall come into operation on the establishment day, (b) Section 79shall be excluded from any commencement order— (i) until the...

Seanad: Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021: Committee Stage (14 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is important to clarify that this amendment does not seek to delay the commencement of the Bill. It simply relates to certain sections of the Bill. It is a substantial Bill and a huge amount of work needs to be put in place, including entire new bodies that must be constructed and so forth in terms of the maritime area regulatory authority, MARA, and others. It is important to be clear...

Seanad: Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021: Committee Stage (14 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes.

Seanad: Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021: Committee Stage (14 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 3: “In page 17, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following: “ “excluded consultation periods” means that the following days are not included in the counting of any public consultation provided for under this Act or required by any action or decision taken under this Act where they fall within the public consultation period proposed:...

Seanad: Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021: Committee Stage (14 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I accept the Minister of State's bona fides in respect of amendment No. 3 because I know there has been movement on that. In the text of amendment No. 34, subsection (3)(b)(iii) deals with the administrative burden that is placed on the public. There should be no battle or difficulty in terms of the administrative burden that is placed on the competent authority versus the public and its...

Seanad: Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021: Committee Stage (14 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: What about other Members who are not on the joint Oireachtas committee?

Seanad: Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021: Committee Stage (14 Dec 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am afraid I will have to ask the Minister of State to give a further reply. His response is not accurate in the sense that this amendment does not preclude the addition of further measures. I note that it is quite specific in stating "shall include at least the following". It does not close the list and it is very clear. I was not going to belabour it, but the amendment sets out...