Results 7,361-7,380 of 8,196 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

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

Alice-Mary Higgins: I believe that this recommendation is one of the most important in the Bill. It asks the Minister to consider creating a report for the Oireachtas looking at how an amendment within Part 30 of the principal Act might be made for the replacement of the current marginal rate tax relief for private pensions with a standard rate tax relief. The recommendation also proposes an alternative to...

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

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will not press it at this time but I will raise it again on Report Stage because I believe it needs to be debated.

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

Alice-Mary Higgins: I absolutely agree.

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

Alice-Mary Higgins: We can address it on Report Stage. I will be bringing the recommendation back on Report Stage.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015: Statements (6 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister to the Seanad to present this annual transition statement from his Department. Others have touched on reports of just how far off track Ireland is in terms of meeting its climate change targets for 2020. I do not want to go into too much detail on that issue, but I do want to highlight it. It is a matter of very serious concern that we have fallen 28 places in the...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I join those who have been speaking about Brexit and the Brexit negotiations. I do think that Ireland has been represented well in those negotiations, and I share the same concern that others have expressed about the deterioration yesterday afternoon and the hope that we can step back and resume progress again. I want to highlight three issues which I consider to be very important in...

Seanad: Department of Rural and Community Development: Statements (5 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I apologise on behalf of Senator Grace O'Sullivan, who will be joining the new committee. She is not able to be here because she is stuck in transit at the moment. I thank the Minister for his speech, in which he displayed his passionate and detailed approach to all facets of life in our communities and in rural Ireland. When we consider these issues, it is important to look at all facets...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Heritage Bill 2016: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: There is a relevance between the Common Agricultural Policy and the Heritage Bill in terms of the choices that will have to be made by the farming community and the lobby groups. There are opportunities now with the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy to address some of the contradictions which exist and have been spoken about. There have been contradictions in respect of one set of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Heritage Bill 2016: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I wish to add a sentence directed to the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association, ICSFA and BirthWatch Ireland. Reference was made to the diversity and mix in farming. The witnesses might touch on horticulture and where that fits in especially in terms of the role of pollination in respect of horticulture.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Heritage Bill 2016: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would be very happy to waive answers to my questions to allow the committee members in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Heritage Bill 2016: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Chairman should focus on the committee members and I am happy to waive the answers to my questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service Restructuring: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Nov 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I do not want to go over the same ground. I would simply note that it is not a matter of the committee simply disagreeing with the decision of the Citizens Information Board. It is that we raised concerns about the public interest, including the concern that an appropriate cost-benefit analysis had not been done. I will only touch on the two other issues because Ms Mangan has raised them....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service Restructuring: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Nov 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On page 13, in respect of the assignment of premises, a figure of €727,545 is given but it does not really address the concern that Deputy Carey rightly raised that there are cases where the organisation is not paying a market value rent and a very significant example is the extraordinary high value that is given in the discounted level for the premises in Dublin for the Dublin citizen...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service Restructuring: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Nov 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I want to come to the conclusion. I will be briefer when addressing the other two questions, but they are important. The reduced volunteer time is a key issue. On the new salaries, it is really unusual that having first of all said the payroll does not count the report says that by paying people it is somehow a benefit to society. As a result, those who compiled the report have managed to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service Restructuring: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Nov 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am not making any assumptions here. All of the facts and figures I have put forward reflect the facts and figures contained in the Citizens Information Board's 2010 report and other reports. I do not believe that the committee or the board should be intimidated by professionals having produced a report. We need to take this issue very seriously. The figure relating to front-line staff...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service Restructuring: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Nov 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Although Ms Mangan does not see a direct value in terms of the contribution of board members, in her own report the value put on that voluntary time is estimated at €4.92 million.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service Restructuring: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Nov 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Ms Mangan may take issue with the figures in the report but they are what have been provided and what we are using.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service Restructuring: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Nov 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: In terms of volunteers and their concerns, the 2010 CIB report from which I took the figure about the 2,700 hours contributed weekly pointed to the fact that community ethos was a key motivator for volunteers. A concern has been raised in respect of the restructuring regarding community ethos. As was mentioned by the Chair, the attachment of local services to independence, which is of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service Restructuring: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Nov 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Deputy Collins may want to come in. I do not want to take up more time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Money Advice and Budgeting Service Restructuring: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Nov 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The CIB could cease funding the local organisations.