Results 5,061-5,080 of 8,196 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I understand that. I agree that it is a wider issue. I also understand that the timeframe may need to be wider again. My amendment No. 34, for example, which set a 12-month timeline and dealt with the wider area of information and tracing, might have been something that was more achievable. Although I cannot put that amendment to the Minister because it is not eligible within the rules of...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 35: In page 3, line 8, after “Agency” to insert “and/or the Adoption Authority of Ireland”. The amendment is consequential on the success of an earlier amendment. As the earlier amendment was, unfortunately, unsuccessful, I will withdraw amendment No. 35.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 36: In page 3, line 13, to delete “other” where it secondly occurs. I will withdraw the amendment for the same reason that I withdrew amendment No. 35.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 37: In page 3, line 14, after “investigation;” to insert the following: “to provide for appropriate processing of evidence received and documents created by or for said Commission, or copies of the same by bodies designated by the Minister under powers conferred by this Act;”.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 38: In page 3, line 14, to delete “other”.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Minister knows my views and all Members have articulated theirs. The Minister has engaged on a number of issues and I urge him to continue to engage in a similar constructive manner with both Deputies and Senators, because when the Minister amends the Bill in the Dáil he will return with it to the Seanad. It would be useful to continue that dialogue to ensure that when he returns,...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The fact that the amendment deadline for the Dáil was moved to Monday is important. That is vital for democracy. I hope the Dáil will be able to build on the debate we have had here in terms of its amendments, and that the final product will reflect some of the issues both the Minister and Senators have articulated.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Second Stage (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister to the House. He will know the volume of distress and concern this matter has caused. He spoke about learning from the past and moving into the future, but we are not yet at a point where we are talking about simply learning from the past. We are still seeking justice, satisfaction and basic rights for those who lived through that past. They are still with us....

Seanad: Budget 2021: Statements (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, to the House. In his speech yesterday he highlighted two underlying assumptions in respect of this budget, first, that Covid-19 will remain with us for a long period of time and, second, that, unfortunately, we may be looking at a scenario of Brexit without a deal from January. I would agree with both of those assumptions and it is important that they...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the witnesses for their presentation. Previous speakers raised the very important issue that just transition is not named in the heads of the Bill. I suggest that a new paragraph (z) be added to section 3 after paragraph (y). That would be a natural place to insert a paragraph on just transition as there seems to be a gap there. Just transition is not the same as climate justice....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: What of the 2030 targets?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I wish to clarify that I refer to the 2030 targets that Ireland signed up to, not the programme for Government.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: People have spoken about the language. Has consideration been given or could it be given to separating out some of these things we hear about in the long list? I worry there might be an implied equivalence, for example, the stronger language Senator O'Reilly and others mentioned that might be attached to the specific points in terms of our obligations and whether it is appropriate we have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would like this clarified because it has been stated. Will Mr. Carroll clarify there is nothing in the legislation that locks in these targets? He spoke about the programme for Government but with regard to the legislation there is nothing that locks in the targets. Is this correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes. My point is to clarify two factual things. One is that there is nothing precluding us from setting an interim target of, for example, 55% by 2030, within which the budgets should operate. It does not matter whether we say it is compliant with the EU and so forth. There is nothing, however, to stop us from setting that hard figure. There is no hard guarantee percentage, however, in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Minimum targets would not have that legislative problem.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Election of Vice Chairman (14 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I also sit on the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach. They made the decision to have a Vice Chairman who is a Senator and a Vice Chairman who is a Deputy. They act as joint Vice Chairmen. That may be another option available to the committee.

Seanad: Ireland-China Relations: Motion (8 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Senator Black will begin our group's contribution and then we will share the remaining time.

Seanad: Ireland-China Relations: Motion (8 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: As others have said, this issue is not new but it has intensified with very serious evidence of hundreds of new detention camps being built over the last two years. I commend the Senators on tabling the motion because it is exceptionally important, at a time when we have the coronavirus and other crises, that we do not lose sight of fundamental human rights principles and the importance of...

Seanad: Investment Limited Partnerships (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister of State. It is very important that we clarify for the record that the decision to which he refers was made by the previous Oireachtas Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach. As a member of the current Oireachtas Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach I would say that no decision has been made by the...