Results 7,041-7,060 of 8,482 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018: Committee Stage (26 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: -----but I am saying that each individual thing that happens requires the test of necessity and proportionality.

Seanad: Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018: Committee Stage (26 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Each individual thing that happens has a test of what is the appropriate way. Things will happen between citizens and public bodies, where consent is an appropriate mechanism. Right now the Bill states clearly that the public body shall not collect or use such information for that purpose from a source other than the designated base registry. That source includes the individual, the data...

Seanad: Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018: Committee Stage (26 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I withdraw my amendment.

Seanad: Address by Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission (21 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome President Juncker to the House. As he said, we have many passionate Europeans in Ireland. As one of those passionate Europeans, I believe I speak for many when I say we are concerned about the point at which we find ourselves in Europe and the period from which we have just emerged. During that period it seemed to many Europeans that market sentiment took precedence over public...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Second Stage (20 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister. Like others, I recognise the origins of the Bill, coming as it does from the issues identified by the public consultation regarding the independence of the Judiciary on the one hand, as well as the importance that the Judiciary would reflect the eligibility and diversity of our population and that there would be clear transparency in the judicial appointments process....

Seanad: Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018: Second Stage (19 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Galway-Mayo border.

Seanad: Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018: Second Stage (19 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister of State for his attendance. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Bill. Although it is important to recognise that very important work needs to be done in terms of clarity and governance, my colleague, Senator Conway-Walsh, touched on the question of rationale, which is crucially important because the test of necessity and proportionality is the...

Seanad: Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018: Second Stage (19 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: There is some concern in regard to the base register of the lead agency and the data controller and the intersection between the two. I mentioned section 12(a), whereby bodies can share data in order to avoid administrative or financial burden. That is at odds with the 2014 European Court of Justice ruling on a case taken by Google Spain. It stated that financial burden is not a sufficient...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: State Pension Reform: Discussion (14 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the delegates. There were two main issues dealt with in our report which featured in the debate on the changes made in 2012. I remember debating this matter in 2012 in my former capacity as a member of the National Women's Council of Ireland. There was the historical injustice represented by the averaging system and the injury added to it by the changes in bands and contributory...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: State Pension Reform: Discussion (14 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Are there plans to allow care credits to also serve as re-entry credits? Will those who may, for example, have accumulated five years of care credits be able to use them to access back-to-educaiton schemes which may have onerous requirements to be met? If one did not work in the two year period prior to becoming a carer, one will not have contributions towards a pension. Will the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: State Pension Reform: Discussion (14 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is relevant because in the middle of their working careers people were cut off. While I recognise Mr. Duggan may not see it as such, politically, even the Minister and others have recognised it as being relevant. The key point is that there were a number of people who were accessing the homemaker's disregard because of a culture which prevailed in the 1970s and 1980s which made it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: State Pension Reform: Discussion (14 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I wish to address the contributory thresholds. I credit the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, for introducing the care credit. I believe she has embraced and recognised the contribution those provide care make. However, the other thing that happened in 2012 was that the bar moved. I will come to the issue of signalling the move. The number of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: State Pension Reform: Discussion (14 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: As there are two related points, I would like to ask a set of questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: State Pension Reform: Discussion (14 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: If someone is required to have an overall 40-year record, of which care credits account for 20 years, there is still a period of 20 years for which they need to account. Is there something I do not understand?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: State Pension Reform: Discussion (14 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: For a full-rate pension.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: State Pension Reform: Discussion (14 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: No, that is my exact point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: State Pension Reform: Discussion (14 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Is Mr. Duggan saying the threshold which moved from 260 to 520 contributions is the minimum? Is he saying there is still a 20-year requirement?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: State Pension Reform: Discussion (14 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Will Mr. Duggan say that again? I ask him to leave aside the reference to a possible 50.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: State Pension Reform: Discussion (14 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: State Pension Reform: Discussion (14 Jun 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We are not looking for an opinion on the qualifying requirements. I accept Mr. Duggan's clarification, but here is my point. There is still a 20-year requirement. There is an issue with the recognition of care. Effectively, it still functions as a disregard. It is not a situation where care provision is fully recognised. For example, somebody who has worked for 20 years will not access...