Results 421-440 of 8,419 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (16 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will be brief. I am proud to co-sponsor the Bill brought forward by Senator Martin. It is a really good piece of work. I hope it is speeded through the Lower House. It will affect every corner and hedgerow across Ireland. If we look to something with wide-reaching implications, it is this legislation. Senator Martin mentioned two halves in terms of the Seanad and the Dáil but...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I pick up where Senator Warfield finished, which was on education. Concerns have been expressed in the House about education. One of the key tools is education that reflects the experiences of minorities in the State and the fact that there is gender, sexuality and ethnic diversity, as well as all the other categories discussed in terms of protected characteristics. That understanding and...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Excuse me, that is quite a significant accusation to make. Earlier, there was reference to particular organisations and their engagement in school training.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I formally second my colleague, Senator Ruane’s amendment to the Order of Business. I support Senator Gavan’s recommendation about our nurses, from student nurses up to those who are trying to put together teams who are managing entirely unwieldy situations in our hospitals. We need to look at a crisis not only in recruitment but also in retention of our nursing staff. For a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Update on the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I listened to some of the debate. I apologise if I repeat some of the questions that have already been asked. I was trying to make sure I was on the premises in order to contribute. I will begin with the Office of Government Procurement. Ms Stewart spoke about developing the criteria, which is really important work. She referred to what the OGP will use for assessing green public...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Update on the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Of course there is individual discretion and, even in my legislation, the individual discretion of the procurement officers is there. What would indicate a change? What would give us the shift we need? Ms Stewart might also address the question of the technical specifications. There are two pieces: the technical specification, which is included within the details, and there is the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Update on the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The witnesses might provide the committee with figures on life-cycle costing and the extent to which that is being done. I know it was touched on a little bit but it would be good to get it in writing, particularly some examples of the kinds of weighting given to environmental criteria and a sense of the extent of life-cycle costing. I have two specific questions, one of which comes back...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Update on the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I know another Senator has arrived. On the SEAI, there is something I cannot understand. The witnesses spoke about the €96 million that has been invested in the HSE and the fact that ten buildings are being done. It seems to me that again, we are operating within a particular timescale. It seems that 2030 is almost the bar for how we achieve things. It seems to me that the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Update on the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes, of course.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Update on the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is interesting that 80% of industry emissions are from 250 companies. There are two things. One is the business case. A concern I have about the climate fund is that this is where most of the resources are going. When a business case is being made, is there scope in that for preventative spending? Is there a narrative of "We are spending so that the State does not have to spend in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Update on the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am referring to what occurs above that level. Let us say it is about the State leading.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Update on the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: With regard to energy choice, for example, surely we should not be connecting anything to gas at this point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Update on the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I do not want to pre-empt our report but I will just mention it. The recertification of materials – Mr. O’Brien mentioned certification – is a matter that the committee looked into. It would be of great assistance if there were a recertification mechanism.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Update on the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It strikes me that there is potentially a role for in-house skill development as well. It is not just a case of the public sector being a customer but we need to build in-house skills within that area whereby people could even be employed by the State. Expertise could then be transferred from project to project. It sounds like that might be another way this could be addressed. My last...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Update on the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate: Discussion (15 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Excellent. I asked Mr. O'Sullivan about the potential for a State body which would ensure that we have in-house skills available for some of those areas in which we are going to need people for the next 30 years.

Seanad: Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We need to be clear about what is in front of us. It would be misrepresentative to present it either as the reform we need of the Seanad or even as a first step towards that reform. What we have now is not the beginning of a path to reform; rather, it is the latest play in what has been a litany of blocks, delays and obstructions put in the way of Seanad reform by governments for a long...