Results 4,821-4,840 of 8,445 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I know the comments made by Senators have been intended in a positive way. They have talked about addressing the reality of unequal social backgrounds and experiences. However, we need to be clear that this is not about people's aspirations. It is not that people need to be inspired by seeing a rich person living next to them. I understand that is not what other Senators have suggested,...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Okay, it was due to cost. However, everything in this housing legislation involves that. It is a question of housing for people with a disability being mainstreamed and being part of any large housing block in respect of which we are making arrangements or in which we are investing. Perhaps the Minister of State can address these issues. I want to be very clear that in my initial comments...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will not speak at length to it again

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It has been brought to my attention there is an amendment in the group which I have not spoken to. Amendment No. 17 is eminently sensible and I hope it would happen anyway. It proposes that in performing functions under the Act, housing authorities would have regard to the appropriateness of the location of dwellings in terms of facilitating access to public transport, education services,...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: No. That is the next amendment. We are on amendment No. 11.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 11: In page 8, line 25, after “in” to insert “owner-occupier”. I accept that the Minister of State seems to have reassured me but I reserve the right to retable the amendment on Report Stage. If it is possible, I ask the Minister of State to send me a short note to allay my concerns in that regard. In that context, I am happy to withdraw...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 12: In page 8, line 26, after “and” to insert the following: "support the long-term sustainability of diverse communities, including the intergenerational sustainability of urban communities, and". I thank the Minister of State and colleagues across the House who have recognised the importance of sustainability and diversity. There is a common...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will be brief. I agree with many of Senator Casey's points. A review of the national development plan has been completed, but the national planning framework has not been reviewed. Now all of the new local development plans are being constrained by a planning framework, which is out of sync with our national development plan. There is a disjoin there. As a starting point, I underline...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Ratification of Optional Protocol: Discussion (27 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I had a few questions I wanted to come in with. In speaking to our colleagues in the Spanish Senate, I was very struck by what Senator Escudero Ortega mentioned about playgrounds and that idea of participation. Can our guests comment on the importance of those aspects that are not necessarily the basic needs? So often it can be such a struggle to access education, healthcare and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Ratification of Optional Protocol: Discussion (27 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the witness very much for his answer and examples. Could Mr. Schefer or Ms Naughton perhaps comment on the case law and the importance of a standard definition of disability in building a common body of best practice in law? I apologise if I have cut across a speaker.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Ratification of Optional Protocol: Discussion (27 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I apologise again. I did not realise I had cut across a speaker.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Ratification of Optional Protocol: Discussion (27 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Chairman and Mr. Schefer for his answer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Protected Disclosure Legislation: Discussion (27 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the presenters. It is very interesting. I want to begin by picking up on the issue of compensatory measures. I worry that the signal that very often gets sent in Ireland is that whistleblowers get punished and that they basically carry the price of taking action and of performing that public good by highlighting an issue. Therefore, I welcome the suggestions in respect of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Protected Disclosure Legislation: Discussion (27 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have a brief follow-up on that before the compensation questions. In that regard, a very strong argument has been put forward that local elected representatives should be within the new expanded category of worker in terms of who might be protected under the Act. Will Mr. Devitt comment on that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Protected Disclosure Legislation: Discussion (27 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am conscious that my time is up, but I have a very brief question that perhaps could be incorporated into later answers. The senior executive accountability regime is something we have talked about a lot in this committee and which is meant to be in place, whereby senior executives become individually responsible in respect of bad practice and so forth. Would the witnesses have comments,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (26 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Tánaiste mentioned there is more regulation all the time and there are still many trade agreements. However, as there is more regulation, particularly in the area of the environment, more cases are taken by investors for compensation in respect of that investment. Some 80% of investor claims have been taken in the past 15 years. The number has increased year-on-year. As we have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (26 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: To clarify, I was asking about what the process will be to assess whether there is a risk of a case being taken for unfair and inequitable treatment in respect of a policy. On NGOs and companies, everybody can take a case in our courts. Under CETA, only companies may take a case. There seems to be a bit of a contrast where the climate Bill has an explicit clause limiting liability in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (26 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I asked what the process will be to assess whether there is a risk relating to new areas of policy and new legislation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (26 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Does the Tánaiste not agree that a national court is required to interpret other aspects of the law, for example, to balance environmental law against the financial concerns of those seeking compensation, but as the Tánaiste described very eloquently, an investor arbitration court is solely concerned with the compensation question? In that regard, it is very different, which is why...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (26 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It simply has to prove that it was treated unfairly or inequitably. Discriminatory treatment is only one part of the criteria. In fact, unfair and inequitable treatment is a moveable feast. It can be changed under CETA and new elements can be added to it, but one of the areas in Article 8.10.2 is that in deciding whether a company has been treated unfairly or inequitably, the question of...