Results 181-200 of 7,380 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Ireland's Climate Change Assessment Report: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: To clarify, by State institutions, does Professor Daly believe that the same key points would come to commercial semi-States?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Ireland's Climate Change Assessment Report: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Is it the same kind of dynamic?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Ireland's Climate Change Assessment Report: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On making it visible, we often talk about giving individual examples but if people can see large-scale examples, either in the public land owned by something like Coillte or large-scale public retrofitting, they set the visibility of the possibility and change. To follow up, it flows from what you were saying but I might just add something, also for Professor McElwain, about the idea of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Ireland's Climate Change Assessment Report: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I was actually just wondering could we not be just looking to ecological care grants, much as we look to forestry grants. Is there scope? Professor McElwain may go ahead, however.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Ireland's Climate Change Assessment Report: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Exactly. It is not in a narrow piece where one is trying to measure just the carbon piece. Rather, it is looking to a wider benefit.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Ireland's Climate Change Assessment Report: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Somebody was talking about Copenhagen's municipal public recycling centres earlier today and it was focused on that arts and culture piece. One of the recycling centres is located at a culture house and another at a library. These are almost mini recycling and reuse centres. Each of them generates a different way of thinking about it and that same kind of positive, enjoyable and joyful...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (23 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The witnesses seemed to suggest that Ireland was waiting to see what our position would be. I would hope that Ireland would have a very clear position between the options presented. Can the witnesses clarify whether Ireland has a very clear and strong position in respect of the first option, namely retaining a separate civilian focus for Horizon rather than the military focus of the defence...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (23 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Under the three options in the White Paper-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (23 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: At this point, is Ireland providing input? This is a discussion paper. I know how the Commission works. Ireland has an input. Is Ireland feeding back? Ireland has very specific obligations in terms of neutrality. We also have very clear obligations in respect of the Cluster Munitions and Anti-Personnel Mines Act and other areas. There are serious concerns. Horizon used to be about...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (23 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We have chosen not to make a submission on the White Paper and not to give input at this point, which seems to mean that we are allowing this to slide and we are in or out of the final proposal, rather than trying to influence the proposal from the Commission.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (23 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: One of the things in the proposal is that there are critical technology areas identified which must be able to be used within Europe. One of these is artificial intelligence.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (23 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I appreciate that. I have a specific question. Is there a danger that Irish research would be used for artificial intelligence in autonomous weapons?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (23 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The policy will set that.

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Before we agree, and I am not going to block it, I wish to highlight that I am concerned about this practice. I am disappointed to see it come from this Department but it has come systematically from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and others where there have been very large-scale changes and additions to Bills, additional provisions and amendments and whole new...

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The practice of tagging unrelated amendments to Bills is something that needs to end. I have some concerns and questions regarding the transfer of maritime area planning functions from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, namely, the fact that while we need offshore renewables and progress relating to them,...

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Citing war is never a great reason for doing things. It is not a good rationale, certainly in terms of the environment. One of the things the war is currently being used to justify on the part of Ireland’s energy strategy is buying coal from Colombia with massive environmental and human rights breaches. We have somehow justified that and used the war to justify it, and that is...

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I will finish at this point except to note that if there is close co-operation, the Minister of State should already know when that legislation will be published. We should not be in the position where we are being asked to move ahead in one aspect of what happens in our waters, in the seas of Ireland, without knowing the other piece. It is not a general query. I am sure we can get...

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Okay. Thank you. I look forward to it.

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would like to move amendment No. 4.

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I do not have my seconder with me, unfortunately. I will not be able to discuss this, unless one of my colleagues from the Government side wants to second the amendment, which concerns a report.