Results 5,761-5,780 of 8,445 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Developing Ireland's Sustainable Transport System: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The externality argument would follow through, would it not?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Developing Ireland's Sustainable Transport System: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Can I come in briefly?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Developing Ireland's Sustainable Transport System: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am not going to ask another question. I just want to make a suggestion. There were two questions that the witnesses did not get a chance to answer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Developing Ireland's Sustainable Transport System: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The first was on e-bikes and the other was about schools, planning and particular measures. If the witnesses could provide a written answer, that would be appreciated.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Senators Conway-Walsh and McFadden have already highlighted that we are in the midst of the 16 days of action campaign in the context of violence against women. Violence against women is one of the most corrosive elements across all societies internationally. There is no society in which it is not present. The patterns can be seen almost everywhere. Figures indicate that between one in...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2019: Second Stage (26 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will avail of the opportunity to make recommendations on Committee Stage so I will just touch on some of the cross-cutting issues and some of the issues the Minister of State himself raised in his contribution. One key issue I would like him to address when he replies is that of the equality-proofing and gender-proofing of the budget. The Government committed to this. It was spoken about...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Retention of Records Bill 2019: Discussion (26 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am very struck by all the testimony. We should not have what would effectively be a second wave of indemnity whereby mistakes would be dug in further by a sealing of the records. That point is important. I agree with Dr. Logue that GDPR is not a thing we use to look at legislation after the fact. It is now prevailing law so we cannot legally draft legislation that conflicts with it, no...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Services Card: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (21 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister. In her presentation, she gave much detail about the 1990s but we skipped very quickly from 2017 to 2019, during which time many things were happening. I have looked back at my own engagement with the Minister on this issue at that time, when many others also engaged with her. In December 2017, I urged a period of slowing down and caution. I asked that the Department...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Services Card: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (21 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: But one is allowed-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Services Card: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (21 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Nonetheless, findings Nos. 3 and 8 refer to the issue of the blanket and indefinite retention of data. The Minister is saying that is solely for the purpose of the Ombudsman but there is a lot of detail in it. For example-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Services Card: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (21 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: What are the other purposes?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Services Card: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (21 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Does the Minister think that satisfies proportionality and necessity?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Services Card: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (21 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will give two examples of data being retained. The issue of applicants' mother's maiden names caused considerable distress to adopted persons who had to go through that process, which we discussed in this committee previously. That information is retained. Does the Minister believe that is proportional or necessary?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Services Card: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (21 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am asking the Minister if it is proportional or necessary to retain that information.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Services Card: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (21 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The report refers to "personal data consisting of documents and information ... which are originally collected for the purposes of identity authentication".

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Services Card: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (21 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: During proceedings in a High Court case this week, Ms Caitriona Bracken, who was formerly with the Department, said it was "an accepted work practise of the department’s management and staff to release information to Gardaí, solicitors and private investigators upon request". That related to the release of an address. Does the Minister have concerns about the risks, from a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Services Card: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (21 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am a referring to a High Court case. An official from the Department was speaking at the time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Services Card: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (21 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The member of staff in question said that the release of data was commonplace and that it was "an accepted work practice of the Department's management and staff to release information to Gardaí, solicitors and private investigators upon request".

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Services Card: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (21 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: As the Minister cannot comment on the case, I will move on to my next question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Public Services Card: Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (21 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Exactly. That is why I am stopping that discussion and moving on. The travel pass is another area of blanket indefinite retention. This is a serious concern. We have learned that the movements and journeys of over 1 million people who are on the statutory pension or have a disability are tracked.