Results 181-200 of 346 for speaker:Jim Higgins

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland Bill 2002: Report and Final Stages. (9 Apr 2003)

Jim Higgins: In regard to the two important points raised by Senator McDowell concerning the formula to be used, the Minister of State said that the two options considered were a simple formula or a formula whereby the assets of a particular financial institution would be assessed together with the other elements and that the levy would be applied on that basis. Is he in a position to reassure us that...

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland Bill 2002: Report and Final Stages. (9 Apr 2003)

Jim Higgins: I move amendment No. 5: In page 45, to delete all words from and including "in the name of" in line 22, down to and including "Authority" in line 26 and substitute "after consultation with the other members of the Regulatory Authority". This amendment deals with the responsibility of the consumer director and seeks to amend the new section 33S(6) which states: The Consumer Director may issue...

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland Bill 2002: Report and Final Stages. (9 Apr 2003)

Jim Higgins: I move amendment No. 6: In page 46, between lines 30 and 31, to insert the following: "(e)comparisons against best practice in other comparable countries in relation to the cost of financial services and the range and quality of services offered.". This amendment deals with the annual report. The new section 33T(3) sets out in detail what must be included in the annual report. It states:...

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland Bill 2002: Report and Final Stages. (9 Apr 2003)

Jim Higgins: I thank Senators Quinn and McDowell for supporting the amendment. The Minister of State stated there is no doubt that the chief executive will take the issues we have outlined into consideration. However, I am at a loss as to why he would not enshrine in the legislation the fundamental requirement to gauge and monitor the operation of our strategy as against that of similar strategies in...

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland Bill 2002: Report and Final Stages. (9 Apr 2003)

Jim Higgins: I wish the authority well, just as everybody wishes well any authority set up to carry out a supervisory and regulatory role. It is important that the authority works, despite the fact that we have expressed doubts about the merits of merging its prudential and consumer protection elements. I agree with everything Senator McDowell said. The Minister of State and I had an argument about when...

Seanad: Electricity Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (9 Apr 2003)

Jim Higgins: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The regulation of the electrical contracting sector in Ireland has been the cause of considerable controversy for some years. Concerns over poor standards and the possibility of increased injury or damage to property caused by shoddy workmanship led to a voluntary initiative between the then Department of Energy, the Electricity Supply Board...

Seanad: Electricity Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (9 Apr 2003)

Jim Higgins: I compliment and thank all of the Members who have participated in this debate. This is the first Private Members' Bill introduced to this Seanad and I feel it is one that should have been adopted unanimously. It is a life and death issue and the Government has shilly-shallied on it for far too long. Mention has been made of the inter-departmental group set up under the chairmanship of the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Apr 2003)

Jim Higgins: I agree with the comments of Senators O'Toole and Dardis about last night's incident. I was there for an hour and a half and saw what happened. It was reminiscent of a fascist display rather than a pacifist display. The group had obviously been infiltrated by rabble, some of whom had a considerable amount of military experience not long ago in this country when they wrought havoc. What took...

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland Bill 2002: Second Stage. (27 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I welcome the Minister of State. I am vehemently opposed to this Bill which proposes to include two conflicting interests in one umbrella authority, the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority. The fact that "regulatory", the operative word, is included in the authority's name is a clear acknowledgement of where its key emphasis will lie. It is obvious that the new authority will have a...

Seanad: Order of Business. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I thank Senators on all sides for their expressions of solidarity and support for Deputy Howlin and me in our determination to refuse to be compelled to reveal our sources in regard to alleged Garda misconduct in Donegal. Yesterday's Government decision is a setback, not only from the perspective of potential punitive legal costs but also from the point of view of our collective determination...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2003: Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I move amendment No. 9: In page 4, before section 5, to insert the following new section:

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I support the thrust of the recommendation. While the minimum wage has increased from its initial level, it continues to be sparse and parsimonious. A person on the minimum wage is on a minimum standard of living and effectively on the breadline. From the point of view of saying that we compare well with other jurisdictions that argument might be valid. At the same time, as a result of the...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I advise the Acting Chairman that when he speaks ex cathedra, he should not make any pronouncements about the merits or otherwise of what was said. I refer to his remarks that the Minister's explanation was a good one.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I remind the Minister that, notwithstanding the fact that a commitment was not given in the interim period, a clear commitment was given in the run up to the last election that the Government would remove all those on the minimum wage from the tax net.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: One must acknowledge that the Minister has increased the exemption point by €14, which has given a certain amount of relief. However, the clear impression conveyed to the electorate and to a considerable number of people on the minimum wage was that relief would be provided in the first year of the Government's five year term because the economy was flying.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I agree with the Minister that there should be a contribution, albeit a nominal one, in relation to all services. In regard to the Freedom of Information Bill, I cannot recall how it got enmeshed into the actual debate. The Minister made the point that there should be nothing for nothing. For any service provided a minimal or a nominal contribution should be paid from the point of view of...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: Two groups have opted out from the new social partnership arrangement, the farmers and the voluntary sector. Did this feature in the negotiations with the voluntary sector as one of the issues which would determine whether they would endorse the new social partnership agreement?

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I subscribe to Senator O'Toole's proposal which is an excellent idea. The SSIA was seen as a vehicle for delivering the kind of savings required by people wishing to purchase a house. I made the point yesterday in regard to the SSIA scheme that 52,000 subscribers to Ark Life, a subsidiary of AIB, and 55,000 in Permanent-TSB are actually losing money as of now. The Government bonus of one euro...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I move recommendation No. 6: In page 13, before section 2, to insert the following new section: "2.–Section 15 of the Principal Act is amended by the insertion after subsection (2) of the following subsection:

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: The purpose of a taxation regime is to raise revenue in order to run the State. The purpose of tax bands, allowances and credits is to achieve a balance between the amount taken from one's income or resources, on the one hand, and the amount somebody needs to maintain his or her living standards and keep body and soul together, on the other. From the point of view of the merits or otherwise...