Results 4,121-4,140 of 8,211 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 35: In page 26, line 37, after “body” to insert “and the Government of Ireland”.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I propose that amendment No. 39 be taken separately.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 39: In page 28, between lines 33 and 34, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 37B of National Oil Reserves Agency Act 2007 20.Section 37B of the National Oil Reserves Agency Act 2007 is amended by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (13): “(13A) The Minister may not provide monies paid out of the Climate Action Fund to...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: My one-line response to that is that there is an amendment I have not been able to put forward because I did not get to it on Committee Stage. It relates to the cost of dealing with the oil and gas infrastructure of companies that are exiting. It is very important that such costs do not end up coming out of this fund. That is one of the reasons this was important. We should not end up...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 40: In page 29, to delete lines 5 to 32.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This amendment relates to the section of the Bill which is supposed to be the section in which we pull back from fossil fuels and stop issuing licences. I will pull up the relevant pages because this is a matter on which it is useful to have the facts. Unfortunately, the withdrawal is not as clean as it should be. This is because, in saying that new licences will not be issued, a number of...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I hate to detract from a very good story but the Bill allows for the granting of petroleum prospecting licences under sections 20(2), 20(3) and 20(4) and for the granting of petroleum leases under sections 20(3) and 20(4). These provisions do not exist in the principal Act and are not existing commitments. They provide for situations where the State can grant new things if there has been...

Seanad: Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Second Stage (9 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Minister of State is hearing from everybody that everybody wants public houses on public land. Like Senator Moynihan, I had wanted a land development agency, or something close to it, for some time but I always believed that, for one to be successful, it would need to be a non-commercial State agency. The delivery of public housing on public land, as described by Senator Warfield,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Resourcing of Personal Assistance Services: Discussion (8 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank all of the witnesses. This has been interesting. I was struck by Mr. Collumb’s last comment. It comes back to that question of choice. It is important to centre choice, both in terms of how time is used and of the priorities in life for the person with the disability. It strikes me that this is something we have encountered in the committee, in that Ireland drags its heels...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Resourcing of Personal Assistance Services: Discussion (8 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have a very quick follow-up question. I noted the comments made by Ms Weldon on the assistive technologies not having budgets at the moment. In that bigger transformative picture on independent living I am very struck by the idea that there seems to be three or four pieces to it. We have focused a lot on the personal assistance service, which is core. In his previous contribution Mr....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Resourcing of Personal Assistance Services: Discussion (8 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Those points are for James or for any other witness who would like to respond.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Resourcing of Personal Assistance Services: Discussion (8 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We need investment in both.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Resourcing of Personal Assistance Services: Discussion (8 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the witnesses.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Apologies, I was not within the precincts. I was listening to the contributions and to the discussion, but I had to get within the precincts for speaking purposes. I thank the Minister for coming in. I am interested to the provisions he mentioned in respect of mica. What he said points to the need for quality public procurement and greater attention to that matter. He will be aware...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The concern is that it might create a policy chilling effect. If the precedent of previous fiscal targets, which we know were quite unachievable and created a great deal of pressure in many countries in Europe, is used, it may create an environment where a stimulus in public investment is needed, not only in the Covid response but also the transition necessary in the climate emergency that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: General Scheme of the Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (7 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister. I look forward to further engagement on the matter. I am conscious colleagues are waiting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Reduction of Carbon Emissions of 51% by 2030: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the witnesses for what has been an interesting discussion. Several areas of interest have been discussed. I look forward as well to reading the written submissions on data centres. I also welcome the invitation to provide input to the next strategic plan. That is something our committee will do. Turning to my questions, one concerns data centres. It is alarming to think that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Reduction of Carbon Emissions of 51% by 2030: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: My final questions concern energy poverty. I am worried about demand pricing and energy meters. We do not want to develop a situation where what gets called “choice” is effectively placing responsibility on people to turn off their energy and energy poverty being the result. Therefore, I would like the witnesses to comment on energy poverty-proofing in respect of measures...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Reduction of Carbon Emissions of 51% by 2030: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I was hoping for something much more specific. An over time approach towards green hydrogen seems very vague. Gas is a fossil fuel. There is an idea that gas plays a role in decarbonisation. I would really appreciate more information and detail on that and on the CRU's scenario planning regarding brown hydrogen and blue hydrogen, as well as an indication of where we end and exit more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Reduction of Carbon Emissions of 51% by 2030: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is no problem.