Results 8,121-8,140 of 8,768 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome there has been an attempt to address the issue. Last year, I proposed a Report Stage amendment to the Social Welfare Bill in respect to a similar scheme. This particular approach has been taken because I identified the concerns about solvent firms. One of the criteria I suggested is such a firm would not be able to close a defined benefit scheme until it had reached 90% of its...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: No, but it may come up in an amendment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am simply flagging areas of future concern.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: One of the concerns raised around pension equality was-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We will get a written reply on that. That is fine.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is the same point covered, essentially.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have a brief technical question on the public services card. Under the legislation there needs to be a justification for each use or sharing of data. I ask the officials to confirm that there has been a justification process which is accessible in respect of the extension of information to each new body.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2017: Discussion (1 Jun 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Is the rationale for necessity available?

Seanad: Domestic Violence Bill 2017: Committee Stage (31 May 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I join with other speakers in welcoming the Minister to the House and in congratulating her and all of the civil society organisations, including Safe Ireland, the National Women's Council of Ireland, Women's Aid, Barnardos and others, for their work in driving this Bill forward. I believe these amendments will strengthen the Bill and thus deliver the outcome all of those who have put work...

Seanad: Domestic Violence Bill 2017: Committee Stage (31 May 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I recognise that the Minister is willing to work on amendment No. 1 that seeks to insert a definition for domestic violence in the Bill and that it is applied to the whole Bill. We are happy to work with the Minister on this matter for Report Stage. I am concerned somewhat by the message given by the Minister about viewing coercive crime as a crime. We have talked about the type of...

Seanad: Domestic Violence Bill 2017: Committee Stage (31 May 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Do we have to adjourn it?

Seanad: Domestic Violence Bill 2017: Committee Stage (31 May 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Apologies. We will come back to this, I am sure. Yes, I can move the adjournment of the debate and look forward to its resumption and to constructive engagement in between.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (National Asset Management Agency) Order 2017: Motion (24 May 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister for coming to the House. I support the establishment of the commission of investigation, although I share some of the concerns expressed by others. It was very unfortunate that the report produced by the Comptroller and Auditor General which was clear was challenged in the way it was by a Minister and the Government. The Committee of Public Accounts also produced a...

Seanad: Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Gender Pay Gap Information) Bill 2017: Second Stage (24 May 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I join with others in commending Senator Bacik and welcoming the Bill. It is an important step forward and something that has been sought for a long time by groups such as trade unions, including SIPTU and IMPACT, the National Women's Council of Ireland, with which I have a record, the Union of Students in Ireland and many others. The necessity of the Bill is clear. Despite the legislation...

Seanad: Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2016: Second Stage (17 May 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I join others in welcoming the Minister to the House and the opportunity to discuss and debate these issues. It is a very welcome step that we are looking to legislate on the access to information for adopted persons, on the exchange of information and for better tracing mechanisms. I accept and acknowledge this aspect. I will move on to the areas of concern, some of which the Minister has...

Seanad: Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2016: Second Stage (17 May 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The State must restore trust in its citizens. I welcome the Minister's proposed amendment on Committee Stage regarding the National Archives. I think that is appropriate for this paperwork. As well as the concerns of all those individuals relating to tracing and the appropriate treatment of records, we also need to acknowledge that the State has a duty to be able to amass these and look to...

Seanad: Second Interim Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and Certain Related Matters: Statements (17 May 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister for coming to the House. On one of her previous appearances in the Seanad, we discussed the issue of a former home in Tuam. I welcome her acknowledgement that the information that emerged in the Tuam case was not a surprise and the issues were known. It is, therefore, somewhat disappointing that the Government, including the Minister in her statement, is rowing back in...

Seanad: Second Interim Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and Certain Related Matters: Statements (17 May 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: My final point is a technical concern related to the future operation of the commission of inquiry. There is very serious concern about the lack of counselling supports for those who are engaging with the commission, the lack of timely response, both indicated and applied, to engage with the commission and a lack of clarity on the question of the informal confidential committee and the sworn...

Seanad: Second Interim Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and Certain Related Matters: Statements (17 May 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Thank you very much. I apologise for my excessive time.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 May 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Today, the European Court of Justice, ECJ, issued a ruling on the Singapore free trade agreement, specifically on the question of whether it is a mixed agreement or can be negotiated exclusively by the EU. The ECJ's ruling is clear: in any investor-state dispute mechanism, which are the corporate courts that the House has debated, ratification by all member states is required. This...