Results 1,901-1,920 of 8,768 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

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 The Bill before the House addresses very outdated and narrowly commercial mandates of Coillte and Bord na Móna, two extremely important semi-State bodies.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...

Seanad: Climate Action and Biodiversity (Mandates of Certain Organisations) Bill 2023: First Stage (11 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Turf Development Act 1946 and the Forestry Act 1988 in order to reflect obligations regarding climate action and the protection and enhancement of biodiversity in the mandate and functions of the organisations established under those Acts.

Seanad: Climate Action and Biodiversity (Mandates of Certain Organisations) Bill 2023: First Stage (11 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Next Tuesday.

Seanad: Electoral Reform (Amendment) and Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (10 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I wish to share time with Senator Ruane. I welcome the Minister to the House. We are proposing this legislation today to address a number of the key issues and gaps in terms of our electoral law with an overarching aim of enhancing democratic participation and voting rights. As we celebrated Vótáil 100 only a couple of years...

Seanad: Electoral Reform (Amendment) and Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (10 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Minister may be looking forward to ongoing discourse. I am quite tired of ongoing discourse because, with respect, the discourse has moved backwards. In the last Oireachtas the Government pretended it wanted to deliver Seanad reform. In the current Oireachtas, the Government has removed it from the programme for Government. It is clear it has taken only the action it has been forced...

Seanad: Electoral Reform (Amendment) and Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (10 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I say that with absolute personal respect for the Minister. I know the Green Party would have liked this to be in the programme for Government, but frankly that is why we will have to press this. I think an opportunity has been missed to bring light to this issue, and to move it forward. The Minister should bear in mind that every time the public has been asked the question, in 2013 and in...

Seanad: Electoral Reform (Amendment) and Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (10 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is what is happening. I welcome the Minister's engagement on the vote at 16. In terms of timelines that is urgent, because we have elections coming in May 2024. As my colleagues have mentioned, this is not just something that has been proven to work. The European Parliament has asked countries to ensure that 16-year-olds can have a say. I was part of the future of Europe process...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Examination of EU Fiscal Rules (Resumed): Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (10 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is a very interesting discussion. I wish to pick up on the discussion of previous fiscal rules. Mr. Barnes mentioned the one-twentieth rule and how poorly thought-out it was. I am concerned that there is not a sufficient evolution from the previous fiscal rules. Regarding consequences, I think Mr. Barnes mentioned the lack of enforceabilty and compliance but the consequences have been...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Examination of EU Fiscal Rules (Resumed): Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (10 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Politically, the assumption should be that major factors can and will change. One such factor, which is not speculation and we know is a major factor, is climate. While Ireland may be in a position to invest in climate, I am very concerned that climate is not something that can be tackled as one country. The EU, for example, needs to tackle it collectively, as indeed does the world. I...