Results 7,341-7,360 of 8,212 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill 2017: Second Stage (12 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I note that this Bill has passed through the Dáil without amendment. I also realise that it is a money Bill and it will continue on its journey. While there are measures in the Bill that have already been talked about and praised which are positive and which will lead to a concrete and meaningful, albeit partial, restoration of pay and...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will propose an amendment to the Order of Business because I believe the Taoiseach needs to come to the House. We need to have the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, because this will have a fundamental impact on our foreign affairs policy and our record on disarmament. I recognise they may be at the Brexit negotiations, in which case we can look to the Minister of State with...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will move my amendment at the end, but I want to be clear about what Minister is available, so I am giving some scope to the Deputy Leader in that regard. It is deeply patronising to the Irish public that it has been told that somehow it inadvertently signed up to this when it signed up to the Lisbon treaty. We had that from the Taoiseach last night. Let us be very clear; in so far as...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am sorry. This is the context. It is very serious. I will be moving my amendment formally at the end of the Order of Business.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I look forward to the debate.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am looking for an indication of whether the Minister, Deputy Coveney, and the Taoiseach are available.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will move an amendment to have the Taoiseach or, failing that, the Minister of State with responsibility for defence or another representative of the Taoiseach come into this House today.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have so much more to say.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Can the Acting Leader clarify who will be taking the debate on PESCO in the Dáil today?

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Subsequent to Taoiseach's questions, will the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Coveney, be available?

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is an unfortunate and indelicate time to be pushing this through when we are negotiating Brexit.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: My amendment seeks that the Tánaiste and Minister, Deputy Coveney, the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, or another Minister come to the House for a debate.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: By way of clarification, my amendment seeks that the Taoiseach or a representative of the Government would come to the House for the debate. I believe it is important that those in this House who have concerns have the opportunity to put those concerns on record before this decision is rushed through tomorrow. I trust that the Acting Leader will nonetheless follow through in ensuring that...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We could accept an alternative representative today.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2017: Second Stage (7 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister to the House. I first acknowledge there are some positive measures in the Bill which has been put forward. I will, of course, be supporting those measures. There are some progressive elements, particularly in respect of maternity benefit. With regard to the payment increases, we must note that those on reduced rates will not be receiving €5 extra including,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank Dr. O'Sullivan for her presentation. I want to pick up on a couple of the themes that have come up. As we will produce a report, we want to gather data to inform the recommendations we bring forward. I want to focus on two areas. The first, which was touched by Deputy O'Dea, is the question of compulsion. This has been a key debating point and Dr. O'Sullivan talked about it very...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I wish to elaborate on that. It is perhaps the case that people are not able to be part of the vanguard of the jobs of the future. We know that in some cases people are getting degrees now for jobs that have not been invented yet because the workplace is changing. This is something we afford to all our young people when they choose their courses through the CAO but we do not do it for others.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2017: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move recommendation No. 3:3. In page 20, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following:“(3) The Minister for Finance shall, within thirteen months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on—(a) the total amount of tax advantage accrued to qualifying companies in respect of the Key Employee Engagement Programme, and (b) the...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2017: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: To clarify two points on which questions were put, Senator Horkan referred to the amount of tax advantage granted under the section. The reason I phrased the recommendation that way was because that is wording from the Bill. Paragraph 8 on page 19 specifically states that a qualifying company shall, when required to do so, by notice in writing by the Revenue Commissioners, furnish...