Results 1,301-1,320 of 8,768 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 10: In page 13, between lines 28 and 29, to insert the following: “(3) In developing the investment strategy for the ICN Fund, the Agency shall ensure that such a strategy prevents the investment of public monies into undertakings operating within occupied territories.”.

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 11: In page 13, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following: “(4) The Agency shall, in determining and reviewing the ICN Fund investment strategy, consult with the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform and Taoiseach and the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment and Climate Action.”. Amendment No. 11 seeks to...

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 12: In page 15, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following: “(6) For the avoidance of doubt, the Minister may not make a proposal for the purpose specified in section 14(2)(a) in respect of the ICN Fund where such funds would be utilised to provide financial relief to companies with an annual turnover of over €1 million.”. The amendment...

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I accept there may be difficulties with regard to where the Exchequer may spend it. I indicate my intention to come back with this amendment on Report Stage. There can be criteria around the circumstances under which we allow money to be redirected from these funds and we may look again at those criteria. In the case of a simple deterioration in the economic or fiscal position of the...

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 13: In page 15, line 40, after “State” to insert “or internationally”. I do not believe the amendment is worded correctly and I am not happy with my own wording of it. Effectively, what I wanted to indicate was that the important thing when we think about greenhouse gas emissions is that we think about reducing them internationally and...

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister of State. It is great to have a detailed response on the sustainable development goals. We rarely see detailed commentary on the latter. Regarding just transition and climate justice, this is not the only measure but it is probably one of the best-funded measures. In that context, I will press the amendments. That is not to say that all the money needs to be...

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No 14: In page 16, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: “(f) the implementation of policies which will facilitate a just transition for workers and communities,”.

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No 15: In page 16, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: “(f) the implementation of policies which further the principles of climate justice,”.

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No 16: In page 16, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following: “(g) the implementation and achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and associated targets and indicators,”.

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No 17: In page 16, between lines 24 and 25, to insert the following: “(3) In this section, “United Nations Sustainable Development Goals” means the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 1 to 17 set out in the document entitled “Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, published by the UN Department of Economic...

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No 18: In page 16, between lines 24 and 25, to insert the following: “(3) In this section, “just transition” means bringing together workers and their trade unions, communities, employers and public representatives in social dialogue to develop, agree and drive the plans, policies and investments needed for a fast and fair transition to a low carbon...

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No 19: In page 16, between lines 24 and 25, to insert the following: “(3) In this section, “climate justice” reflects the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change commitments on equity and “common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities” and requires that the decisions and actions taken to reduce...

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 24: In page 21, line 12, before “invest” to insert “directly”. We do not need to go through this in great detail but these amendments relate to the same core issue, that question of the use of external asset managers. As I said, I am uncomfortable with the State's reliance on the use of such external asset managers. The policy needs...

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 25: In page 21, lines 14 to 16, to delete all words from and including “in” in line 14 down to and including “managers),” in line 16.

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 26: In page 21, line 18, after “description” to insert the following: “following the consent of the Minister and the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform”.

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 27: In page 21, to delete lines 21 and 22.

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 28: In page 21, between lines 37 and 38, to insert the following: “Report on external investment managers 29. (1) The Minister shall, within 12 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining how the use of external investment managers for the FI Fund, the ICN Fund and any other funds controlled by the Agency...

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 29: In page 22, line 9, to delete “endeavour to”. Amendment No. 29 seeks to amend section 31(1)(a) relating to the investment of fossil fuels by removing the term "endeavour" and thereby creating a stronger obligation. This relates to the nature fund, a fund that is meant to be for climate, infrastructure and nature. There should be no caveats when it...

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: There are loopholes in this section about getting around having a climate and nature fund that invests in fossil fuels. That is what is happening in this section. The section states that that we should try not to invest indirectly if it is a large part of whatever we are investing in. There is then section 31(3), which states that, notwithstanding sections 1 and 2 where we were going to...

Seanad: Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Committee Stage (29 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We are nearly finished. Maybe we can finish the Bill. I am happy to take a shorter response from the Minister of State.