Results 6,541-6,560 of 8,212 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Naturalisation of Minors Born in Ireland) Bill 2018: Second Stage (21 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I simply want it noted that it is at the discretion of the Ceann Comhairle as to whether a money message is even needed. It is a poor indication of bad process.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It was wonderful to be part of a photograph of all current and former women Members of the Oireachtas. I pay tribute to all those former women Members and the immense contribution that many of them have made to both Houses. Sunday was World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Last year 158 people lost their lives on Irish roads, which included 15 cyclists and 30 pedestrians. It...

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Second Stage (20 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Bill has many positive elements and there are sections that I commend specifically. There may be opportunity on Committee Stage to go through some of those sections. I am happy to see the narrow bands in the banded contracts. There have been some good decisions on this and that should be retained. I had the opportunity in April to launch the TASC report “Living with...

Seanad: Greyhound Racing Bill 2018: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am happy to co-sign the amendments. On traceability and registration, the substitution of the word "shall" is important because we cannot have an industry in which such things "may" be introduced. Section 28(2) also contains the word "may" where I believe "shall" should be used. I reserve the right, therefore, to introduce an amendment on Report Stage to copperfasten that provision,...

Seanad: Greyhound Racing Bill 2018: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I appreciate the Minister of State's engagement. In regard to section 29, I suggest that there are other ways. In this House we often deal with legislation which intersects with or is layered on top of other legislation. There is still scope to use the word "shall" in section 29, for example, by amending the wording to "shall make appropriate regulation". That might be a way to do it. I...

Seanad: Greyhound Racing Bill 2018: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: As I referred to earlier, I hope we will have an opportunity to look at this again between now and Report Stage. I hear what the Minister of State is saying about the importance of things being compatible with and in appropriate relationship with other legislation. This issue appears throughout the Bill. In a spirit of constructive engagement, I suggest that where the word "shall" appears,...

Seanad: Greyhound Racing Bill 2018: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It has been outlined that there are serious animal welfare concerns in respect of the use of drugs in the industry, apart from the distorting of the industry and the other effects that my colleague has outlined. I indicate my support for amendment No. 8d in particular. In section 27(3), I am concerned that at the moment it sets out that:Where a sample from a greyhound is found to have...

Seanad: Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill 2016: Second Stage (14 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister and the visitors in the Gallery. I wish to give the sincerest welcome to this Bill and I congratulate Deputy Pringle and his assistant, Jodie Neary, who did so much to bring this Bill through. It was an example of an Independent politician taking a global perspective, rather than a local perspective. I commend all parties, including the Government, on their support...

Seanad: Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill 2016: Second Stage (14 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am sure we will have further opportunities to discuss it. I respect the point made by my colleague, Senator Ned O'Sullivan, that we should not say or do anything that would endanger the project.

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Deirdre Hargey, Lord Mayor of Belfast (8 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome Ms Hargey and congratulate her on her powerful, historic address. My colleague from the Civil Engagement Group, of which I am a leader, spoke very clearly about the vote taken on the Good Friday Agreement being a choice made not simply for peace and political solutions but for community engagement and co-operation, rights, and a vision of society at the time. I will perhaps begin...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Bogus Self-Employment: Discussion (8 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. I share the shock of my colleagues that this issue is not being monitored. It is completely unacceptable, especially if it was not monitored previously and the Department's title was then changed to include employment affairs in respect of which this is a key piece of work. It means the Department does not even have a baseline to move from....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Bogus Self-Employment: Discussion (8 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have four specific questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Bogus Self-Employment: Discussion (8 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Another key question relates to the engagement between the Department and the Revenue Commissioners where Revenue is engaging with a company regarding its failure to deliver its full tax component. What is the relationship with respect to the Department regarding PRSI? Can we be assured that in any deal or arrangement-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Bogus Self-Employment: Discussion (8 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: They are very brief. My other question relates to scope determinations in respect of spouses. Does that relate to an EU directive that came into force about three years ago which directed that persons in family businesses should pay PRSI in respect of their spouses? How has that been evolving and how is it being pushed forward? I will come back in if I have a further question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Bogus Self-Employment: Discussion (8 Nov 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I refer to the Department's presentation on the success of the outreach campaign. It said there was evidence that people want anonymity and fear repercussions. It is important that we do not say that we are surprised and that we do say there is disturbing evidence that has come to light in the Department's report. This should be addressed. That is why the issue I raised earlier is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Semi-State Pensions: Discussion (25 Oct 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank everyone who presented. This is an issue, as the Chairman has said, on which the committee has been pressing. We have raised the matter in private session and corresponded on it consistently over the past two years. I proposed amendments to the Social Welfare Bill in December 2016. These were not on the semi-State companies but on defined benefit schemes and one of the newspaper...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Semi-State Pensions: Discussion (25 Oct 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I refer to the people who were prohibited from getting that safety net below the first year. However, those who were on high incomes have the private pension tax relief and those schemes. That is where the very high earners in any organisation are very much being subsidised in terms of our private pension tax relief system, which we have discussed previously, whereas the guarantee most...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Semi-State Pensions: Discussion (25 Oct 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The fundamental question of representation is one we definitely need to pursue because it is vital. The witnesses have represented their colleagues and former colleagues so very well today and they should be afforded the opportunity in every other forum.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System: Discussion (11 Oct 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank Mr. Nicholson. We first talked about this about four or five years ago in a completely different forum. I recognise it is one of the policy areas into which a lot of very considered thought has gone. There are a lot of really strong and positive aspects to some of the proposals. I also quite like the straw man proposal as one part of that consultation. Compared with the total...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System: Discussion (11 Oct 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is fundamentally different from the State system in that a set amount is not provided to reflect what has been saved .