Results 7,401-7,420 of 8,196 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On a point of order, the Minister already explained the 200 m restriction in his speech and why is was not an arbitrary figure. We have voted on this section.

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It will be resubmitted on Report Stage.

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I join other Senators in commending the Minister, Deputy Harris. I would also like to take a moment to commend the former Minister of State, Deputy Corcoran Kennedy, who did extraordinary work in preparing this Bill and was a great loss to Government. I would like to briefly correct a point that seems to have been taken up erroneously across the House. As for the cabinets proposed, be they...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Engagement with Committee for Labour and Social Protection, Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of Romania (26 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome all of the witnesses. Other speakers have touched on the pension system in terms of the historical context. The main concerns regarding the pension system were flagged in a Government Green Paper in 2007, which I would recommend. It deals with the first tier, second tier and third tier question. It was, of course, followed by the crash and so many of the issues highlighted and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Engagement with Committee for Labour and Social Protection, Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of Romania (26 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I can come back because I will have an opportunity later but I realise that the delegation has specific questions. It was asked if we had quotas. There were quotas in certain public sector areas but we had a long-term freeze on recruitment to the public sector, so that had a disproportionate impact on persons with disabilities because it was one of the few areas in which there was an active...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Other Senators in the House today have highlighted the issue of sexual abuse and how it is dealt with in Ireland. It is essential that the message goes to the Government, and the Deputy Leader conveys it, that the SAVI II report, that has been awaited for over a decade, be delivered. Research is long needed into the extent of sexual abuse and violence in Ireland and a report must be...

Seanad: Driving Test Waiting Times: Statements (25 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Other speakers have spoken about the impact of the waiting time for a driver theory test. When I worked with young unemployed people in Wexford, Wicklow and across the south east, I noted that being able to drive really made the difference between getting work and not getting work. In many cases, it was almost impossible to gain employment if one could not demonstrate that one could drive....

Seanad: Situation in Catalonia: Statements (25 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will endeavour to do so. Many of the points I wished to make have been made by Senator Ó Clochartaigh so that should be possible. We have heard many references to the rule of law being invoked as if it is a magic card that can be played. The rule of law has a context. We are duty bound to protect and support a rule of law that is linked with a democracy and respects human rights in...

Seanad: Report on Lone Parents in Ireland: Statements (25 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister and acknowledge her indication that this is a priority issue for her, as supported by her frequent references to it. I hope we will now see intensified action to address the issues involves. I am a member of the Joint Committee on Social Protection which produced an important report on the situation of lone parents in Ireland. That document is as close as we have got...

Seanad: Report on Lone Parents in Ireland: Statements (25 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will conclude. The Indecon report shows €45 million in State savings. That is almost an indictment. The changes were introduced at a time of austerity in 2012, but that €45 million is coming from one of the most vulnerable groups in society. Will the savings of €45 million be redirected back directly to lone parents as a particularly vulnerable group? I am...

Seanad: Report on Lone Parents in Ireland: Statements (25 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Perhaps the Minister could address the fact that change cannot wait for the report in 2018.

Seanad: Broadcasting Act 2009 (Designation of Major Events) Order 2017: Motion (19 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I join in the welcome to the Minister. I also welcome the positivity of the designation of these new events. I commend the Minister not only on the order he has brought to the House but on the process that led to it. It is positive to have that level of public engagement and discussion around what we value as a society, what we want broadcast free-to-air and what we feel is part of our...

Seanad: Child Care: Statements (18 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. She has shown a genuine commitment and dedication to transforming child care, and a vision of how it should and might be done. I commend her on staying consistently with this issue and for pushing it forward in recent years. I acknowledge the importance of the first year introduced by Fianna Fáil which laid the groundwork for how we might...

Seanad: Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (17 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I join with those who have commended Senator Daly and all of the advocates who have brought the Bill to this point. While the amendment is due to be accepted, I want to add to Senator Daly's remarks and put a question to the Minister of State. There is a duty in terms of culture that is not entirely outside the role of the State. At a Council of Europe level, we have a document, In From...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (12 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I did not have the opportunity to debate the budget with others when it came through for comment in these Houses on Tuesday but I wanted to highlight two particular issues related to it. I am sure the Leader will not be surprised because I have indicated this clearly before. The gender inequality-proofing of the budget which has been promised and which I was gratified to see mentioned in the...

Seanad: Future of Europe: Statements (12 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Will the Chairman let me know when I have three minutes left?

Seanad: Future of Europe: Statements (12 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the opportunity to have this debate. As Senator Richmond said, it is an opportunity to highlight that it is not a polarised debate which we often see, of being for or against Europe. There are many of us who are passionate about Europe. I worked for many years with the European Women's Lobby, the European Anti-Poverty Network, and with others in civil society across Europe. Now...

Seanad: Future of Europe: Statements (12 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am glad the Acting Chairman rang the bell. Lastly, I note that Europe's credibility is also being damaged internationally. When Europe is seen to have a militarised and securitised response, for example, to the migration crisis, it diminishes our capacity to step in with regard to the huge global movements of people in crisis, for example, in Myanmar or, in the past, in places such as...

Seanad: Future of Europe: Statements (12 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We need to have public confidence in their ability to influence their future. This leads me to my final concern, which is trade. Far too often we have the simple narrative that a person is either for or against trade or has an open or a protectionist position. We must listen to citizens who say that they want international trade but that it needs to be done well. Some of the models put...

Seanad: Future of Europe: Statements (12 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Acting Chairman has the patience of a saint.