Results 1-19 of 19 for operation sophia speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Nov 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...the case of Seán Binder, which is being heard today. These issues were debated in the past two weeks. Ireland stopped its bilateral search and rescue in the Mediterranean Sea. Then we joined Operation Sophia, which then stopped doing search and rescue. We warned that would happen because the then Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Paul Kehoe,...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (20 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Ireland was better than Operation Sophia because we saved 17,000 lives when we were operating bilaterally with our own ship. When we joined Operation Sophia that figure was reduced but there was still search and rescue carried out. All of this relates to a European directive so it is not us on our own. It is exactly as was said on the question of prosecutions and of a chilling effect. All...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (20 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...do not want it simply confined to the United Nations but it is another thing to have it completely wide open in having any force in that space. We have a concern there. The Minister mentioned the Operation Sophia example and the bilateral operation. That is a very interesting example because it is an example whereby Ireland and the Naval Service were operating with a humanitarian...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (20 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...but, rather, where there are other forces or engagements. With respect, when we talk of the things we are proud of, I was in the Chamber three or four years ago when we were debating joining Operation Sophia. Everybody spoke about how proud they were of the navy and I pointed out that, in fact, the legislation we were passing would lead to our delegating operational control differently...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (20 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I know that, but that mission was under our direct command, whereas we delegated operational control under Operation Sophia. The nature of the mission changed and that is where circumstances changed. It is good that when it was decided under Operation Sophia to stop doing search and rescue completely, we withdrew ships. However, this amendment would mean that if we had a situation such as...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (7 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...were incredibly proud. Then there was a withdrawal from the bilateral arrangement, and the Minister, Deputy Coveney, believes we did not have the option of another such agreement. We then joined Operation Sophia. The former Minister of State with responsibility for defence, Deputy Kehoe, speaking directly to me in this Chamber said of that operation that we were now moving from a...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (7 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...this. People will keep trying to travel, they may do so with the assistance of smugglers and the latter may take advantage of them. As I have said - I said it many years ago when we were debating Operation Sophia - the cause of deaths in the Mediterranean is not simply the existence of boats; it is the existence of desperation.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (7 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...regard to the smuggling of persons and what steps have been taken to establish safe passage routes to reduce the reliance on and vulnerability of persons to smuggling. As I said earlier and when we discussed Operation Sophia a number of years ago in this House, the cause of smuggling is not the existence of smugglers or boats. The driver of smuggling is the existence of desperation, war,...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (7 Oct 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I move amendment No. 25: In page 19, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following: "Report on search and rescue operations 17.The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining the State’s record and current practice in respect of humanitarian search and rescue in the Mediterranean, including the number...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (28 Sep 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...Service were heartbroken when Ireland stopped doing search and rescue and when we went from saving 8,500 lives in 2015, as part of a humanitarian mission, to only 1,888 in 2018 as we changed policy and joined Operation Sophia. There has been slippage in permanent structured co-operation, PESCO, where we are engaging in military procurement. What will that be used for by those in the...

Seanad: Defence Matters: Statements (9 Jul 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...purchase of such weaponry, not only through the general sense of the European Defence Fund but through specific joint procurement projects under PESCO? Will the Minister indicate the safeguards under PESCO? On Operation Sophia I will quote the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe. When I challenged him back in 2017 on Ireland's move away from bilateral search and rescue to Operation Sophia,...

Seanad: The Future of Europe and the Value of European Union Membership to Ireland: Statements (5 Mar 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...and the building of understandings, and those must be Ireland's priorities. As such, I deeply regret that Ireland has joined the PESCO military agreement and was very disappointed that we joined Operation Sophia, moving away from humanitarian search and rescue in the Mediterranean to a policing function which has resulted in the loss of many lives. When we look to the past, we must look...

Seanad: Defence Matters: Statements (27 Feb 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...for assurance because we have seen the Minister of State's party calling for 2% of the budget to be spent on defence at European level. That is also present as a goal in the Permanent Structured Cooperation, PESCO, moving to a very high level of defence expenditure. That is a real concern for many. There have been indications of European social and structural funds being routed into...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Search and Rescue Missions in Mediterranean and Migration Crisis: Médecins Sans Frontières (5 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...Ireland decided to change its approach. We ask whether ships with these goals make a difference. We have previous evidence in this regard. During the period of a number of years in which Ireland operated on its own and in accordance with the Pontus deal with Italy, which focused on humanitarian search and rescue, just one Irish ship was in operation and Ireland saved 17,500 lives in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence Forces Strategy Statement 2017 to 2020: Department of Defence (5 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...by my colleagues here, but I would like some more specific detail in the responses to some of them. Neutrality is not simply another policy. It is, first of all, the context in which Ireland operates and has operated for a very long time. It is also the current policy. There is a very serious concern here, however. I note in the strategy the line stating that "the intention is to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence Forces Strategy Statement 2017 to 2020: Department of Defence (5 Oct 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...globally, work of which we are very proud. Even at this late stage, it would be very useful if the strategy was able to illustrate the complementary relationship between those two imperatives. Operation Sophia was mentioned. It may not be possible to answer some of my questions today but I would appreciate if we could get a written answer subsequently. Everyone is extraordinarily...

Seanad: Naval Service Deployment: Statements (13 Jul 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...we are seeing today is a change and a new policy. As Senator McFadden rightly said, Irish ships have rescued and saved the lives of over 16,800 people. During the period when there was an Irish ship operating at any given time, the EU operation with six to ten ships saved approximately 34,000 people. With one ship operating at a time, the Naval Service rescued 50% of the number of...

Seanad: Naval Service Deployment: Statements (13 Jul 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...two final points. They are very important. There are questions around peace, neutrality and Ireland's role. The Minister of State stated that "Ireland will only participate in those aspects of Operation Sophia which are authorised in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions". Does he anticipate that aspects of Operation Sophia will not be in accordance with UN Security Council...