Results 21-40 of 8,553 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Electricity Sector (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I can come back or I can put them all at the same time. If that is better, I do not mind.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Electricity Sector (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: To facilitate the meeting, I might give all my questions and then people can choose the ones they want to answer. I am conscious that I might not get back in otherwise.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Electricity Sector (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Perhaps I could get something in writing about battery storage. It has been mentioned as a one-liner at the end of these meetings for the past six years but we hear a lot about all the other areas, and the smart meter plans, etc. Exactly how much resourcing has been put into that area? Wind Energy Ireland talked about where that fits in with the mapping piece that it has been doing. It...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Electricity Sector (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: My time is constrained, and I have other questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Electricity Sector (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I was going to say that I can get the answer in writing, but I did ask what the policy is and not to tell me a story. What is the hierarchy in terms of demand? Perhaps I can get it in writing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Electricity Sector (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On hybrid generation-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Electricity Sector (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: -----just the fact that fossil fuels-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Electricity Sector (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Apologies. I will let others in but perhaps the witnesses could answer this later if they get the opportunity.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome Mr. O'Brien. I will begin with a couple of short questions. He seemed to suggest that under Irish, EU and international law, the Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory are illegal and are built on occupied land and, as such, are not part of Israel. He implied that when he mentioned the association agreement, but perhaps he could confirm that is the case.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am really looking for just a very short "Yes" or "No" answer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Is it Mr. O'Brien's understanding that these are illegal settlements on illegally occupied land and that, therefore, they are not part of Israel per se?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The reason I was asking is that is already the case under Irish law, under the Geneva Conventions Act 1962, which obliges us to abide by the Geneva Conventions, that the settlements are illegal in that context. That is also reflected in the business advisories the Government has given to business over a long period of time. I am sure Mr. O'Brien would be familiar with business advisories in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: However, while the labelling requirement does not come under the EU-Israel association agreement, which Mr. O'Brien mentioned, it is in place because the occupied territories are officially not part of Israel. Is that not the case?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: However, there is a different tariff rate. The key point I am coming to relates to the fact that Mr. O'Brien mentioned the US anti-boycott laws. The Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, has been very clear and I believe the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, as recently as today said that this legislation relates to the occupied Palestinian territories and does not relate to Israel. In...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: However, it is not something on which IBEC has sought legal advice. That is fine, of course, but I just want to clarify.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: As I said, my understanding of the laws, and it seems to be an understanding shared by the Taoiseach and the Minister of State, is that they are clear that this is not legislation in respect of a boycott of Israel. This is legislation in respect of ending trade with illegal settlements in illegally occupied territories. I will come back to the question of the certifications Mr. O'Brien...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The key point in that regard is that if one set of the national imperatives, such as those I put to Mr. O'Brien, is compatible with international law and another one is clearly not, that creates a somewhat different context.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Mr. O'Brien mentioned assessments. Do we also have a legal risk if companies act in a way that is incompatible with international law? The advisory opinion from the Government for a long time now has already been that companies should not be engaging in this trade. I will come back to that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I want to follow up a little more. Mr. O'Brien said that companies would have to do audits. Should companies not already be doing audits? It is a fact that they are required to distinguish trade in both goods and services under the EU-Israel association agreement. The terms of the EU-Israel association agreement cannot be applied to trade in services originating from the occupied...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This is crucial. We have heard unchallenged at multiple points that there would have to be audits and that companies would have to do something new. My point, which I think is extremely relevant and I would like confirmed, is that companies should already be doing the kind of auditing that Mr. O'Brien has mentioned, including in respect of human rights. A failure to comply with...