Results 1,321-1,340 of 8,196 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Committee Stage (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have the same question. We still have not received any justification. The justification has simply been that we can look back and see a worse proposal made by someone else and a worse decision before that as regards the failure of the commission to properly acknowledge the damage and abuse. We can look at worse decisions. We can go back to all the original decisions about the mother and...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Committee Stage (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I appeal to the Minister to go back and fight again. I hope and believe he probably has pushed on this, but I appeal to him to fight harder on the inclusion of all of those within that six-month period. If there is no rationale, it is good and useful to put that on the record today so that there is pressure collectively on all of the parties, including the parties of Government, to come...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Committee Stage (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We have asked direct questions about the rationale for the six months and still have not heard a reply on that point.

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Committee Stage (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will speak briefly to the section. It is regrettable that these amendments, which are around definitions, have not been allowed to be discussed. I will signal some of the key questions involved because this is a crucial part of the Bill. Section 2 is where the definitions are set out. It is where the definitions for the phrases used later in the Bill are set. The Opposition has made...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Committee Stage (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: To clarify, on Committee Stage it is not just about the amendments, it is about the sections. What happens on Committee Stage is that the Minister is bringing each section of the Bill to be discussed by the House. With absolute respect, it is not solely about the amendments, it is about each section. That is why we ask if each section is agreed. It would be appropriate that there are...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Committee Stage (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I want to indicate that while an amendment by Senator Boyhan was ruled out of order we may bring back more amendments on Report Stage in terms of allowing for subject matters contained within section 4.2 to be subject to further consideration beyond the cessation date of the Act. That relates to section 4. While we are not opposing section 4 at this point, I do want to indicate that Senator...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Committee Stage (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 15: In page 8, between lines 29 and 30, to insert the following: “Report on operation of Scheme 7. (1) The Minister shall, within six months of establishment day, cause a report on the operation of the Scheme to be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas. (2) A report under this section shall consider the following matters: (a) options to require persons...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Committee Stage (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am particularly concerned about this because the chief deciding officer will have a hugely important role. I acknowledge the Minister has no say in deciding whether amendments are in order. It is very surprising and presumptive that amendment No. 16, put forward by the Sinn Féin Senators, has been ruled out of order. It proposed that the Minister, from among all his or her officers,...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Committee Stage (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The vote we had was on the establishment of the chief deciding officer, which is a crucial role. I note there is also a deputy chief deciding officer. We discussed some of the issues in connection with section 10. We may well bring amendments, as the capacity and competencies are going to be key for both of those roles. Section 11 allows certain persons to be given some of the functions...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Committee Stage (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am sorry we have to press the Minister so on this. I have been paying attention and we have been listening closely to his responses on other sections. What he did was outline in some detail the process whereby the decision on the six months was reached, including the facts that the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation made even worse recommendations and would have excluded...

Seanad: Climate Action and Biodiversity (Mandates of Certain Organisations) Bill 2023: Second Stage (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time". I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am very happy to able to move this amendment Bill today. I will be sharing time with my colleague, Senator Ruane. The Bill before the House addresses very outdated and narrowly commercial mandates of Coillte and Bord na Móna, two extremely important semi-State bodies. Between them they...

Seanad: Climate Action and Biodiversity (Mandates of Certain Organisations) Bill 2023: Second Stage (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the Minister of State. I am glad she and the Government are not opposing the Bill. To have done so would have been a real pity, given that the Bill represents something that was committed to in the programme for Government and that has been called for across the board. The citizens of Ireland, whenever they have been consulted, have talked about wanting this different remit. The...

Seanad: Climate Action and Biodiversity (Mandates of Certain Organisations) Bill 2023: Second Stage (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Next Tuesday.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: General Scheme of the Research and Innovation Bill 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will pick up where Deputy O'Callaghan left off, on head 11. It is widely framed in giving the Minister powers to give directions on any policy or objective of the Minister or the Government. I do not know whether that is standard. It is very widely framed. Professor Nolan spoke about the importance not only of separation and independence but also of being clear about any perceptions...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: General Scheme of the Research and Innovation Bill 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On thee bodies, I am thinking of organisations such as the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, which may not be funders but may be key partners. As all of those listed are funding organisations, there is a danger of losing those other key public partners. I apologise for interrupting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: General Scheme of the Research and Innovation Bill 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I have not had my answers yet.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: General Scheme of the Research and Innovation Bill 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Perfect.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: General Scheme of the Research and Innovation Bill 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the presenters. I would like to go back a little bit into the language of the Bill because, of course, that is where we are in strengthening it. I can see there is excitement around the potential but the detail also matters. I will pick up on a couple of points, and in particular I want to expand upon the recommendations around head 8 and head 9, which I found very interesting....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: General Scheme of the Research and Innovation Bill 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It strikes me that part of that leading can be not in just solely in the competitive frame but within that collaborative frame and looking to the new approach globally to pandemics and to research and ethics as areas of innovation. One thing we see that actually sets the parameter for innovation in the technology area is that those who can show they are matching up to ethical and...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I support the points made regarding the Inagh river. What has happened is a tragedy and also a crime. It is a terrible thing when we lose nature in that way. The time we have to regain and protect it is running out. As well as enforcement of the laws and EU directives on protecting our waterways and habitats, it is important that we ensure all the bodies and instruments of the State are...