Results 1,321-1,340 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. 30: In page 22, to delete lines 20 to 29.

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

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 31: In page 22, to delete lines 27 to 29.

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

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 32: In page 23, between lines 35 and 36, to insert the following: “Investment in companies operating in occupied territories 32. (1) (a) The Agency shall ensure that the assets of a relevant Fund are not directly or indirectly invested in an undertaking operating within an occupied territory. (b) Where the Agency becomes aware that an undertaking in which 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. 33: In page 23, between lines 35 and 36, to insert the following: “Obligations under Cluster Munitions and Anti-Personnel Mines Act 2008 32. The Agency shall ensure that assets of a relevant fund are not directly or indirectly invested in a manner which would contravene Part 4 of the Cluster Munitions and Anti-Personnel Mines Act 2008.”.

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 3: In page 12, between lines 28 and 29, to insert the following: “Report on seasonal work 3. The Minister shall, within 12 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas reviewing the conditions and wages of workers holding a permit for seasonal work.”.

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I note that in her amendments, the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, offers a definition of "seasonally recurrent employment". I know the amendments are to move that definition. It is an aspect of the Bill that we have concerns about. It is important that we do not see a pattern of abuse of seasonal work permits where workers are left in a situation of constant precarity and insecurity....

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Others have articulated the kinds of concerns we have and again, while I appreciate that the Minister of State indicated that there will be an analysis, there are certain other factors that are needed in that analysis. The question of wages needs to be part of it, so that we are not simply looking at analysis that addresses abuses but that we are also looking at the situation of the...

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 4: In page 12, between lines 28 and 29, to insert the following: “Report on dependent permit holders 3. The Minister shall, within 12 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining the labour market access available to spouses of employment permit holders, particularly looking to the gender impact.”.

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This amendment provides that within 12 months of the passing of the Act, a report would be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas looking at the labour market access available to spouses of those with employment permits, and particularly the gender impact in the context of that employment. It is a constant refrain, but when we look to employment permits, it is important we remember that...

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I regret that the Minister of State sees it as outside her scope-----

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: -----but has indicated a clear understanding of why it is important. I spoke a little about the integration piece as regards financial independence and all those issues, but it is also from the straightforward perspective of family unification. We do not want a situation where one partner has to go abroad to work and has to leave his or her family behind. That is even more of a danger....

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 5: In page 12, between lines 28 and 29, to insert the following: “Report on workers’ rights 3. The Minister shall, within 12 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas reviewing the terms, conditions and remuneration afforded to workers holding regular permits and seasonal permits broken down by sectoral...

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: This amendment also concerns a report. It asks for a report on workers' rights. I touched on some of the logic and thinking behind this in my previous commentary on seasonal work. The report would look at "the terms, conditions and remuneration afforded to workers holding regular permits and seasonal permits broken down by sectoral employment". I wish to highlight the issue of examining...

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister of State for indicating she is happy to engage subsequently on the question of the trends. There is a problem with relying solely on the Workplace Relations Commission inspections. Those inspections can address the individual instances and highlight them. Of course, individual instances of the breach may be captured and responded to. I welcome the Minister of State's...

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is not what I meant. I referred to identifying the patters.

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 6: In page 12, between lines 28 and 29, to insert the following: “Report on right to unionise 3. The Minister shall, within 12 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining measures taken to ensure that workers holding both regular and seasonal permits have a right to organise and to collective bargaining in...

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I appreciate that to monitor every permit might be onerous but in taking a cross-section, patterns can be identified. Without looking at all of the aspects, if a sample of permits within different sectors were taken, we could identify some of the patterns. Because it is a comparative exercise, we would not have to compare all the permits. If, for example, a pattern is identified by looking...

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I welcome the membership on the oversight body. It will be an invaluable resource. I will still press the amendment but I do welcome this. The oversight body will be very useful to the Minister to ensure and monitor standards. I welcome the confirmation of the right to association and to form a union. However, Ireland still needs to strengthen its legislation in respect of the right to...

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Protection of Private Residencies (Against Targeted Picketing) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will be very brief. Unfortunately, I was held up in the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs and did not get to move my amendments. It is fine, though, because I think it is clear there is going to be additional scrutiny in the Joint Committee on Justice and an opportunity to tease out the issues there. I wish to signal, however, that I think these issues are not simply to do with...