Results 4,041-4,060 of 8,196 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 5: In page 8, line 12, after “particular” to insert “public”. I will move and withdraw it.

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am happy to co-sign amendment No. 31 and support it. For too long we have seen Traveller accommodation not being delivered or delivered on unsuitable land. Sometimes it has been left to the end of allocation when almost every other purpose has been looked at before the land is allocated to Traveller accommodation. This is completely unacceptable. All of the things we look for in every...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Is this a grouping?

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Okay. I indicate my support for the amendment. We need to accelerate transition from direct provision.

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 8: In page 8, line 14, after “for” to insert “public”.

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will speak to my amendments. I am trying to build on the same kind of points. "Social background" is problematic language. We discussed it at great length and quite philosophically during the Affordable Housing Bill so I will not rehash that. There were concerns across the House in relation to it. The question of income was raised. I give credit to the Minister of State, Deputy Peter...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will follow up on that in relation to subsection (p). It is inherently bad value. There have been counterproductive attempts to constantly push private partnership into situations where public delivery should lead. The problem is subsection (p) is muddy and it talks about public-private collaboration in relation to private land, agency land and public land. We know public delivery of...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have the floor so I will speak. Leasing has been appallingly bad value and it was flagged early on. Strategic housing development has not led to the desired outcome. I have been in this House over six years and have been lectured on the urgency of suspending normal planning processes and of leasing. At the same time, I have seen local authorities have their hands tied behind their back...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 10: In page 8, lines 15 and 16, to delete “social background” and substitute “income”.

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 11: In page 8, line 17, after “new” to insert “, existing”.

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 12: In page 8, line 21, before “housing,” to insert “public”.

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 13: In page 8, line 24, after “deficiencies” to insert “and speculation”. Mindful of the fact that we have a great deal to get through I will be as brief as I can. This is the core of it and it is not a question of not liking it because I am very happy for a private market to exist and for the State to engage in the use of private land. I...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 14: In page 8, line 25, after “experiencing” to insert “or exploiting”.

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 15 In page 8, line 30, after “practice” to insert “, universal design”. One of the stated purposes of the Bill is the promotion of best practice in housing development, including best environmental practice, which I hope will include consideration of embodied energy, innovative construction methods and climate adaptive housing. The...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 18 In page 9, line 16, after “Act” to insert “only in so far as is necessary for the provision of social, affordable and cost rental housing and”.

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have a number of amendments in the grouping. I would prefer if my amendment No. 80 were accepted, although I am happy to yield to amendment No. 79, from Senator Boyhan. A number of the amendments in the grouping are related to the question of cost rental. They concern the factoring-in of equity return, which is ultimately an additional cost and one that is unnecessary in the context of...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am happy to co-sign this amendment. I saw it put forward in the Dáil and had expected that it would be accepted because it is eminently sensible. We talk about public land. It is about making clear that certain kinds of land serve other purposes that are core to the public good and are part of our responsibility in terms of biodiversity, the environment and public amenity. This...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 22: In page 12, line 2, after “may,” to insert “following consultation with the relevant Oireachtas Committee and”. We all represent the State and we have heard a lot of reference to State land. The concern is not any one place or area but that land going to the Land Development Agency is no longer State land. We will come to that later....

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I wish to add to what Senator Boyhan said about transparency. Publication in Iris Oifigiúil is one element of this but how the members of the board of the agency are appointed, what interests they must declare, the manner of their appointment, the constitutional balance of the board and how often the board must report to the Minister are all elements of transparency. We heard about the...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 24: In page 12, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following: "(5) The content of any direction under this section shall be published in Iris Oifiguil; in at least one national newspaper; and on the websites of the Minister and of the Land Development Agency.".