Results 801-820 of 8,196 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am not reassured. Perhaps Ms Filipkova might talk about the Council. She mentioned that the European Peace Facility is off-budget precisely because it has military or defence implications and yet she is suggesting that these measures, in terms of manufactured weapons, do not have military or defence implications, or somehow can be dealt with separately. In relation to the Council...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We have read part of Article 42.2 but we have not read the full piece and I think it is important here. It is very clear that there should be no expenditure arising from operations having military or defence implications expect in cases where the Council acting unanimously decides otherwise. For a decision that had military or defence implications, which clearly the manufacture of weaponry...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is very clear, to be honest, that in regard to capacity to produce and production, effectively one is supporting production in that context. This is a legally questionable interpretation and I think it is one that should perhaps be revisited in that context. As the witness said, the Commission is supporting these companies in their capacity to manufacture weapons. It is not like...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have confirmation, although I understand I am not allowed to name individual companies, that one of the companies which is benefitting from the scheme is indeed exporting tank shells to Israel. That is from reports in Der Spiegel. We know that we are effectively routing an estimated €12 million of Irish money and claiming that it is an industrial measure, while explicitly kind of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I understand that some of the moneys have been a redirection of moneys. I think the witness mentioned €171 million has been redirected from another area of defence, the EDI. Where has the remaining, over €300 million, been redirected from, or is it new money?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Will the €300 million come from the general budget? All of the money will come from the general budget, as I understand it. Is that the case?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Just on cluster munitions, I have asked Mr. Ryan about it. It is disappointing that there does not seem to be commentary on Irish law. Is it the practice to check for compatibility with our national law in respect of budgetary decisions that have, was stated, military or defence implications? I know Mr. Fitzgerald was in the room and maybe he would like to comment. As I understand it, he...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: How is it coherent? Again-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: With great respect to Mr. Ryan, it is appropriate because the question is on how it is coherent for us to be engaged in supporting the manufacturing of weaponry and arms, given that there is an explicit prohibition in the cluster munitions legislation on the State investing in the manufacture of explosives and munitions, and that we have a status of neutrality which Mr. Ryan would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: With the defence fund and others, there is a separate decision-making, as I outlined. There is a process whereby one can decide to have a separate------

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: No, but within the European Defence Fund, it is not simply the same because this process was decided by QMV, as I understand it, in quite a hurry. Going back to the Commission, there is just one other point. The Act, as I understand it, referred to the urgency and the exceptional circumstances of the Ukraine war. Again, that does not seem to be an industrial measure. That is clearly a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: One of the other speakers from the Commission wishes to come in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will pass on to Deputy Conway-Walsh and then I have one last point after that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Indeed, and it is any munitions------

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I know we are walking out the door, but I would be happy to get the reply in writing subsequently from the Commission.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: If there is some revision of the question of supporting manufacture when we have seen a tenfold export-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Clearly there is not a capacity issue in German industry at the moment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Scrutiny of EU Proposals (22 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The inadequate terms and conditions for many in the Army and the Naval Service are of significant concern for many. I also know many left the Naval Service because they were disappointed that Ireland stopped engaging in humanitarian search and rescue. That was explicitly in order to move towards a security rather than a humanitarian focus. Many of those in our Defence Forces feel huge...

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Second Stage (21 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I hope to have the opportunity to engage on Committee Stage. In respect of this new fund, it is important that we learn from some of the challenges we faced with previous funds and areas of investment of the State. The record of the State has been mixed. Section 6 refers to investment policy and the focus is very explicitly on commercial aspects and seeking the optimal total financial...

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Second Stage (21 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This is me being very brief. In that context, I want to signal that I will be bringing forward some amendments. I would also genuinely appreciate it if the Minister of State could look at how we can learn from some of these other pieces and from the mistakes made or the things not foreseen by the NTMA. We have been many years waiting for the review of NAMA to tell us all the things that...