Results 8,661-8,680 of 8,768 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures: Department of Social Protection (20 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Will the Department have the option of returning to public delivery fully? I am interested in this from a legal and commercial perspective. Mr. McKeon has spoken about the Department's obligations under procurement directives. I am now speaking in terms of investment directives because there is an area of future projected profits.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures: Department of Social Protection (20 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I was asking about the setting of a precedent. We can come back to it another time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures: Department of Social Protection (20 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We can come back to this in detail because I think it is somewhat technical.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures: Department of Social Protection (20 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes. I apologise for spending so much time on that question, in particular. I welcome Mr. McKeon's statement that he may come back in on more specific detailed questions, so I am not going to ask many of them. I would like to reflect on the crucial and fundamental principles and assumptions that are at work here. I am noting a fundamental issue and question that arises here. There is a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures: Department of Social Protection (20 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The sanction is new.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures: Department of Social Protection (20 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures: Department of Social Protection (20 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am certainly not suggesting it is the general practice among staff and I certainly do not want to engage in fear-mongering, but when we give information that there is a perception, it is important because people are very vulnerable in these situations. Perhaps there might be a need for a stronger information programme in which we can look to clarify the position. I would happily be able...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures: Department of Social Protection (20 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The particular cohort is qualified adults.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures: Department of Social Protection (20 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the officials again. I am not trying to start a philosophical debate to doubt what they are saying. It is important that we look at these assumptions. I have a question about equality monitoring. At the moment, we have a public duty when it comes to equality and human rights. What mechanisms are being put in place across the Department to look at the equality of outcomes for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Labour Activation Measures: Department of Social Protection (20 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: If people know the route back, it would be practical information. Perhaps it could come further down the line, as the witness mentioned, in addressing perceptions. If people knew it was not the right scheme for them, they might want to know how to get back.

Seanad: Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill 2016: Second Stage (19 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am very happy to get an opportunity to speak on this issue. It is an issue of core principle because it is one of equality and justice, and it is important that we underscore that equality. I commend all those who have already been commended, particularly Senator Mark Daly and others who have put this principle on the agenda repeatedly. During times when we have been told to roll back...

Seanad: Judicial Council: Motion (19 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister of State and I also welcome the motion. My colleague, Senator Black, is our spokesperson on justice and equality and she would normally have contributed but she is unable to be present. I had the opportunity last week to participate at the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe in the election of new judges to the European Court of Human Rights. It was...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Two weeks ago in the Seanad we passed a motion expressing concerns about certain aspects of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, between Canada and the EU, focusing in particular on the lack of legal clarity surrounding what "provisional application" might mean. These concerns have been echoed and vindicated across Europe in the week since by lawyers who have made it clear...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would ask the Leader to respect a motion of the House as he would any other such motion.

Seanad: Children and Youth Affairs: Statements (18 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I join in welcoming the Minister, Deputy Katherine Zappone, and hope we will see her again as there are issues we might want to discuss about child poverty, child protection, parental leave, the provision of mental health supports for young people and youth services which are beyond youth activation and employment services in their more holistic sense. I hope the Minister will be able to...

Seanad: Action Plan for Education: Statements (6 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the Minister and thank him for attending. The plan makes for very interesting reading. I will try to confine my remarks to the specific goals. I hope the Minister will respond on a couple of points under each goal. With regard to goals 1 and 2, on the questions of the learning experience and the progress of learners at risk, reference was made previously to the teacher-pupil...

Seanad: Action Plan for Education: Statements (6 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is important to assert that, especially in light of the constitutional considerations. Schools should not be property to be transferred to trusts to be administered. They are, in fact, an administration of a duty of the State. That has to take primacy. In that regard, I call for a roadmap on the delivery of the 400 multi-denominational and non-denominational schools and also the...

Seanad: Action Plan for Education: Statements (6 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I apologise. I will be just 30 seconds more. It is my final point. The roadmap, the baptism barrier and the legislation have been mentioned. My key final point is one that Senator Ruane would make if she were here so, in a way, I am using the time she will not be using. If we want a vibrant research community, we need to invest in public research and higher education funding must be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Lone Parents: Department of Social Protection (6 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the officials and thank them for their presentation. Previous speakers have highlighted the amazing number of holes and anomalies in this policy approach and it seems that each time the Department attempts to put a patch on one, another issue arises. There is a patchwork of measures in place to cover over a fundamentally flawed approach. I will not touch on them or the many new...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Lone Parents: Department of Social Protection (6 Oct 2016)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will add a line on that anomaly. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has proposed that people should be able to receive JST and FIS subject to means testing. That would serve as a way of ensuring that people who wanted to access some of the other measures that come with the jobseeker's transitional payment, JST, for example, would be able to benefit from that while still accessing family...