Results 1-20 of 8,553 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: International Students (17 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The urgent issue I am raising concerns 40 students who have secured places in Irish universities but are trapped in Gaza. These students have previously been told by the Irish Embassy in Tel Aviv that their visa applications would be approved as they met all the necessary criteria and that they would be on the next evacuation flight. They have been waiting for over three months in the most...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: International Students (17 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am appalled. I realise the Minister of State has given us the text that people have been receiving in letters, which is that the Department is so busy it is limited in what it can provide to non-Irish citizens even if they have placements in Irish universities. I do not accept that. The idea that consular staff will deal only with Irish citizens, effectively, or those on a direct Irish...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: The Impact of Tariffs on the Irish Economy: Nevin Economic Research Institute (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I know Dr. McDonnell is as enthusiastic as I am for this idea but because my time is limited, I have to move on. We are seeing an attempt to shift how our economies are functioning using the tariff threat with a danger of potentially undermining it. I specifically mention the digital services levy which is being talked about by Europe. There is, however, also an attempt to have direct...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: The Impact of Tariffs on the Irish Economy: Nevin Economic Research Institute (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The Digital Markets Act is something different because that is in the regulatory space.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: The Impact of Tariffs on the Irish Economy: Nevin Economic Research Institute (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Dr. McDonnell mentioned intra-company transfers. A huge amount of what would be affected, maybe even in the pharma area, is intra-company financial transfers rather than productive activity. Does that relate to base erosion and profit shifting?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: The Impact of Tariffs on the Irish Economy: Nevin Economic Research Institute (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Those areas may have a revenue impact but they do not necessarily have an employment or productivity impact. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: The Impact of Tariffs on the Irish Economy: Nevin Economic Research Institute (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It does not touch the productive economy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: The Impact of Tariffs on the Irish Economy: Nevin Economic Research Institute (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: To come back to the new economy, we still have instability in terms of tariffs and their priority. Will Mr. McDonnell comment on what Ireland and the EU could do, with reference to the G20 meeting and also in terms of the food and beverage sectors? If I was very cynical, and I rarely am, the huge focus on defence spending will certainly help Germany whose manufacturing capacity utilisation...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: The Impact of Tariffs on the Irish Economy: Nevin Economic Research Institute (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I apologise. If there is no time for those questions to be answered now, maybe Dr. McDonnell can answer them at the end of the second round because I have to step out.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: The Impact of Tariffs on the Irish Economy: Nevin Economic Research Institute (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Let me give Dr. McDonnell another moment to describe where his head was at when he passed over. Could the €2.4 billion that we spend on private pension tax reliefs – annually, I believe – be one example of where reform could deliver revenue?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: The Impact of Tariffs on the Irish Economy: Nevin Economic Research Institute (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: An adequate universal pension.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: The Impact of Tariffs on the Irish Economy: Nevin Economic Research Institute (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I believe 70% of the beneficiaries of the private pension package are in the higher tax bracket and beyond. That is not what we are here to discuss but I just mentioned it because the conversation had gone there. I thank Dr. McDonnell, as this has been a really interesting analysis. It has been reassuring in some ways and challenging in others. The digital services levy has been...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I indicate my support for the motion put forward by colleagues, to which they have already spoken on today's Order of Business. That motion and every action we can conceivably take are more important than ever right now. I refer to the motion in respect of Gaza and the egregious breaches of human rights we are seeing on a regular basis. It is more important than ever because, along with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Electricity Sector (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank the witnesses very much. I want to pick up on a couple of the questions that have been asked about large energy users. It was stated that a 50% increase in demand is anticipated, and a 30% increase from large energy users. Is it not the case that across the EU generally, this is not normal in terms of the EU average for electricity demand? There, we have seen a decrease and now a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Electricity Sector (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: But it is in single figures versus 50%.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Electricity Sector (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Ahead of meeting and planning for it, we are allowing the increased demand to continue. The example of Portlaoise is an interesting case that was in the news. We heard about the 80 families who are unable to move into their homes because of power constraints in the area. This is one of the largest growth areas and one would imagine that it would be stress-tested regularly. Is it not the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Electricity Sector (16 Jul 2025)

Alice-Mary Higgins: They are scattered.