Results 8,001-8,020 of 8,220 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I wish to speak briefly on section 12.I am happy there will be a report on the changes to the one parent family payment, OPFP. In preparing the report on the financial and social effects of the amendments, reference is made to taking into account the effect on welfare dependency and the poverty rates of those in receipt. I would like to be clear that in looking at the financial and social...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: As well as examining the issue highlighted by my colleague, there were considerable impacts when people moved from the OPFP to individually having to seek maintenance payments. The Department has figures on this and it is an important financial and social effect, which has had an economic impact. It would be important to capture that. Perhaps it is a corollary effect but it will feed into...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 4:In page 8, between lines 13 and 14, to insert the following:"13. The Principal Act is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 178F:"178G.(1)The Minister shall, not later than 9 months of the passing after theSocial Welfare Act 2016, cause to be produced a report in respect of the gender pension gap in the first tier and second tier of the pension...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is a question of the marginal rate point rather than standard taxation.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On the question of pre-1995 public servants, quite a lot of women re-enter the system. That is a common situation which has arisen whereby people have come back into the system, perhaps after a period of ten or 20 years raising children. It is also the case that many women, having left, return to work in their late 40s or 50s. During the recession, a number of women who were not working...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: My colleague is being reasonable, more reasonable than I would be regarding this amendment. She has brought forward an amendment that looks to the various circumstances as outlined by the Minister regarding accessing the information. From my perspective, I have to oppose this section of the Bill because opening that dialogue regarding child benefit is an issue of serious concern. A couple...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I wish to register my opposition to this section.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would like to speak in favour of this amendment, particularly in so far as it relates to the homemaker scheme. The discussion on amendment No. 4, in my name, reflected the need for the first, second and third tiers of our pension system to be repaired in the long term. This amendment relates to a more urgent issue. The Minister has acknowledged that the current position is unequal....

Seanad: Finance Bill 2016: Second Stage (1 Dec 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for presenting the Bill. I will highlight a couple of areas which are very positive. I recognise the home carer tax credit is a positive move. I echo the comments on the Living City initiative. It is important and could with merit be expanded to towns in the country because a number of towns could benefit from a similar initiative. To...

Seanad: Knowledge Development Box (Certification of Inventions) Bill 2016: Second Stage (30 Nov 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister back to the House. I thank her for bringing this Bill through the House. The Bill proposes to expand access to the preferential tax rate for income generated on intellectual property and patents under the premise of nurturing innovation, encouraging companies to locate high-value jobs in Ireland, and promoting economic growth. I accept that the development of...

Seanad: Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign: Motion (30 Nov 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: In respect of Fianna Fáil's amendment, if there is a desire to put forward a motion at the finance committee, I urge the party to do that in addition to supporting the very necessary motion put forward by Senator Norris.

Seanad: Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign: Motion (30 Nov 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That would be an addition we could support. In terms of the question of Bank of Ireland not showing up and that we would respond at that point, I note that it has already not shown up because it has failed to provide any satisfactory explanation for the closure of the bank account. We have already arrived at the point where it has failed to account notwithstanding that it has had the...

Seanad: Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign: Motion (30 Nov 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Okay. I will not elaborate on that aspect. The key point here is that we are talking about the open work of campaigning on boycott, divestment and sanctions. Boycotting has a strong origin here in Ireland. The IPSC is not only a peaceful organisation, but one with a long-standing record of street stands. There could not be a more open organisation. It has been visible, clear and...

Seanad: Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign: Motion (30 Nov 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is not like other campaigns which ask banks to divest, but is rather a campaign which is operating by stealth and which is not making itself accountable. It is a deep contrast. While the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign is completely legal, as asserted by the EU, the unjustified measures we are seeing now are deeply undemocratic. They raise very serious concerns for all of us,...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Nicola Sturgeon (29 Nov 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On behalf of the Civil Engagement group, I thank the Scottish First Minister for her visit to the House and for her inspiring speech. There is a long and interwoven history between Scotland and Ireland - in the migrations of our people, in the constant crossing of our seas and in the overlapping of our myths, stories, music and language. The vibrant exchange of ideas has always been part of...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Second Stage (29 Nov 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister to the House. I will not be going through this section by section. I know we will have that opportunity on Committee Stage. There are some very positive steps in this Bill and it is important to acknowledge them. The movement with regard to jobseeker's allowance for the under 25s, while it does not go far enough in fully restoring their payments, is important....

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: If I speak on this, will I be able to speak later on other amendments?

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 1:In page 7, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following:"(2) An application for a strategic housing development under this section, other than for the alteration of an existing planning permission granted under section 34, may not be made by a prospective applicant who holds a planning permission for over 100 housing units in the same local authority area or in an...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I regret that the Government is not accepting any version of the amendments. I know that there are 28,000 planning permissions outstanding in the Dublin area. That is why we spoke about the local authority area alone. While I appreciate that the Minister of State and the Department took on board the constructive proposals we offered on Committee Stage in order to try to future-proof the...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 2In page 7, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following:“(2) An application for a strategic housing development under this section, other than for the alteration of an existing planning permission granted under section 34, may not be made by a prospective applicant who holds a planning permission for over 100 housing units in the same local authority area for...