Results 3,881-3,900 of 8,211 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and COP26: Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (19 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Can I get a written note on the accounting issues I mentioned? The accounting rule book in terms of loans versus interest-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and COP26: Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (19 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: -----and the new and additional definition.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and COP26: Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (19 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: And on the Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action?

Seanad: Finance (European Stability Mechanism and Single Resolution Fund) Bill 2021: Second Stage (14 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister. It is good to have him in the House. The idea of a common response and common action in respect of financial and fiscal threat is something everybody supports. The idea of the common backstop and a stability mechanism is, of course, important but there is much to discuss in the detail. Significant mistakes have been made in the past and it is not clear how they have...

Seanad: Finance (European Stability Mechanism and Single Resolution Fund) Bill 2021: Second Stage (14 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: If those are the kinds of policies coming through on how we approach banks in this budget, how can we have confidence in how the stability mechanism will engage with banks and hold them to account in the future?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: From Accessibility to Universal Design: Discussion (14 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank our guests. I was interested in some of the questions put by Deputy Hourigan, which were key and went to the core of the issue. We must recognise that not only have we not progressed as we should have in terms of universal design and standards, but there is active pressure to roll back on standards. We need to be clear about that and I hope we, as a committee, can be strong in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: From Accessibility to Universal Design: Discussion (14 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will add one line, as I know others are going to come in. Mr. O'Herlihy has touched on something there. Quality criteria are important in order that we are not just procuring in the context of the lowest cost and meeting the basics and that we are in a position to award tenders that raise standards and, maybe, even offer more in terms of quality and inclusion than might have been...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: From Accessibility to Universal Design: Discussion (14 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank Ms Smith. This is where the danger of the term "adaptable" being too loose arises. It really needs to be the case that it works.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: From Accessibility to Universal Design: Discussion (14 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank Ms Carthy. I do not have any more time now but I want to indicate something we might be looking at later. I refer to finance and mortgages, and the obstacles relating to accessing mortgages. We will not have time to discuss it now, but I ask people to send on their thoughts on this matter in writing. This is an issue that has arisen for people in the context of adaptation grants...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Circular Economy Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the witnesses for their engagement with the committee. On procurement, one of the first things we need to get right is the requirement to include quality criteria. Both price and quality must be considered, rather than the approach of only going after the lowest price as the first choice. I must express an interest in this regard in that I have brought forward legislation pushing...

Seanad: Budget 2022: Statements (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank Senator Lombard. People have used the phrase "missed opportunity" a lot to describe this budget. It seems like a cliché, but it is true. This was an unusual budget and we had an unusual opportunity. This was the budget in which the fiscal rules and constraints that have often blocked us from long-term thinking and investment were suspended. As Senator Ardagh said, this was...

Seanad: Budget 2022: Statements (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It was welcomed but they went on to say we need €85 million in investment.

Seanad: Budget 2022: Statements (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: An €85 million investment is particularly needed in the light of the Covid crisis, whenThe Lancethas said mental health issues and anxiety disorders are at the highest level they have ever been globally. I welcome the proposals for budgetary reform but I note gender and equality proofing of budgets was a reform we were promised six years ago. The system was being piloted over two or...

Seanad: Peat Harvesting: Statements (13 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will begin by setting out the context in terms of the facts as to where we are, namely, in a climate emergency on a planet that is in a dire situation due to the impact of emissions. Yesterday, in the budget, it was again acknowledged that the science is uncompromising and that the world is burning. In that context, peatlands are the largest natural terrestrial carbon store that we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I apologise for having been in the Seanad for a short time during the meeting. I would first like to get the witnesses' perspective on two concerns I have about the lobbying aspect, and then ask them whether they feel this proposed legislation will address them or could it be strengthened in that regard. My first concern arises from a scenario involving lobbying in the context of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is a nuance that may need to be addressed. Where persons are presenting themselves and lobbying, it is important to know on behalf of whom they are lobbying. Mr. Devitt touched on another concern I have, which is to ensure we avoid unforeseen consequences in this regard. All present want the strengthening of lobbying regulation but I refer to the issue of interest-based lobbying, that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: My apologies. I was in the Seanad Chamber while Deputy O'Callaghan was asking his questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I agree with regard to transparency. I was referring to the issue of the cooling-off period. I thank Professor Murphy.

Seanad: Budget 2022: Statements (12 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: In discussing the budget, I will look at more than the question of what and how much we are spending. The problem is that we have missed the opportunity in this budget to spend better. The fiscal rules have been suspended for years and we are allowed to do things for the long-term benefit of the State. The balancing of the books is no longer a constraint because the fiscal rules have been...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (7 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will speak briefly. Later, we will discuss amendments dealing with how humanitarian assistance is treated under legislation. The definition that we have proposed is based on the European Parliament's report. It relates to fundamental rights and, in the wider sense, human rights. We have gone with a definition that has been used and that has strong agreement, but the core of our argument...