Results 61-80 of 8,701 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It looks like we are into the additional-measures space in terms of the carbon budgets. The ultimate objective, our key goal, is to keep the global average temperature rise below 1.5°C or 2°C. We know the world is very close to a rise of 1.5°C, 0.5°C of which is attributable to methane. Why is methane significant? It has a shorter lifespan but a quicker impact....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: But it is future-science-based mainly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Those incomes can be replaced. That is a choice for Government in terms of what it chooses to subsidise or not. The goal is a national objective of-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It does sound like the plan is replanting right now. I am worried about the lock-in and the examination of that lock-in. I turn to the proposed curve modelling. The thing with a curve is it goes up. It seems to be the case that in all these curves - in all three scenarios being looked at - there is a plan for increasing dairy production and, in effect, increasing dairy emissions. How...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Trade Agreements (30 Sep 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I ask the Minister of State to update the House on the position that Ireland will be, and has been, taking to date in relation to the proposed renewed EU-Morocco trade agreement, which is due for decision at the European Council tomorrow. This relates to an amendment of protocols 1 and 4 to the previous EU-Moroccan agreement. The need for the change to the protocols comes from a Court of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Trade Agreements (30 Sep 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I do not believe Ireland is being very supportive. First of all, we pulled out of the MINURSO mission and do not have anybody there anymore. Also, if we are so keen to see the long-awaited referendum, why have we not taken any advantage of this opportunity? This is a point at which Morocco's trade with the European Union and much of its relationship with it depended on, potentially, the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Trade Agreements (30 Sep 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: With respect, the Minister of State did not answer my question and I am hoping that this means he will be voting against it tomorrow.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence and Older People: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the witnesses. I used to work with Older and Bolder, an alliance of age organisations. What I found then was the incredibly clear-eyed analysis. We hear a lot about digitalisation and not leaving people behind. However, what we are hearing today is how can we make digitalisation catch up with the concerns, issues and needs. It has been described as really meaningful innovation....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence and Older People: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Sorry.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence and Older People: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That follows on perfectly because Senator Ruane had asked me to put forward one question in particular. In the AI governance structure, we know there is an AI advisory committee, which is largely drawn from people who are experts academically or from the industry and technology side. This is the “who you are led by” piece. Do the witnesses think there should be a civil...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence and Older People: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is a very good point. It is a widening of the advisory group.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence and Older People: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: So there will be an ongoing cost benefit.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence and Older People: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We heard about the bias. We know that is around how it is designed in terms of who uses it, but there is also bias in what it presents. There is a single individual photograph of a very old pair of hands that I complained about to newspapers for about eight years. The same photo was used every time an older person was mentioned in an article. That, of course, has been turbo-charged. The...

Seanad: Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza: Motion (25 Sep 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank those who tabled the motion. I will be happy to support it. It sets out some important recognitions in terms of the horror of the war, the imposed famine and, indeed, the fact that the UN commission has been very explicit that this is genocide. This is something we have all seen and that most experts have told us about for a very long time. The motion also sets out the idea that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Engagement with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (24 Sep 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have a few factual questions because they would be useful. Then I will come to the bigger picture. The figure of 50% was mentioned. Was that 50% electricity usage in Dublin or 50% of energy-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Engagement with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (24 Sep 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: So, 50% of energy generation in Dublin is being used currently by large energy users-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Engagement with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (24 Sep 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: -----which know we largely consist of data centres. To my mind that is quite significant.