Results 1-20 of 24 for cork speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2023: Second Stage (24 Jan 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...compass of the mayor. Even if that is an incremental piece, that is something that would not require new primary legislation where we go back and say, "We failed on Limerick. We will try again on Cork" or wherever it might be. We do not want to be in that position. Regarding the huge reserve of power, it is not simply that somebody would come out and apologises to the public for the...

Seanad: Wind Energy: Statements (25 Jan 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...energy we have in this State is available for crucial public goods purposes. That is in the context of concerning evidence and research from, for example, Professor Hannah Daly from University College Cork, UCC, who, in her paper on electricity and gas demand, highlighted that electricity demand is projected to grow from between 19% and 50% over the next ten years. While in most of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Mother and Baby Homes (14 Dec 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: As the Minister of State will be aware, a new planning application was recently lodged for an apartment scheme on the former Bessborough mother and baby home site in Cork city. This application is one of a number of live planning applications for developments across this estate. This recently lodged application for a 92-unit scheme was lodged by the same developer who had previously been...

Seanad: Breastfeeding: Motion (12 Oct 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...who cannot breastfeed, such as the breast milk bank which was mentioned by Senator Pauline O’Reilly. The only such bank we have in the country is in Northern Ireland. We do not have one in Dublin, in Cork or in other centres of population. One of the reasons for this is that it does not make anyone any money; it just helps women and children, and public health. That is exactly...

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ..... When we talk about other representatives, the fact that they would have previously had a representative is a matter of very significant concern, for example in universities in Galway, Cork and elsewhere. Previously, a mayor would have been a public representative who comes from a place where universities play a really fundamental role, as they do in some of our towns and cities....

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (23 Jun 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...whistleblowers are not lost in the system when their concerns are being addressed. Someone may go to a Minister because he or she is the Minister in his or her geographical location. They might go to a Minister because he or she is in Cork, Galway or Limerick and the Minister may want to transfer the matter to the line Minister or the public body. What is important is that the Minister...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fisheries (Commercial Fishing Licences) (Alteration of Duties and Fees) Order 2022: Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communictions (1 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...the development of the marine protected areas? On a related issue, one of the key issues relating to licences is the level of stock that is in place. This was highlighted recently in respect of Cork by fishermen. There was very serious concern that unless we have better monitoring and regulation of sonar and noise activity in our waters, it is likely to have a detrimental effect on fish...

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

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...when they saved thousands of people from drowning in the Mediterranean. Dozens of investigations have been launched by Italian prosecutors. I spoke on Second Stage of a humanitarian volunteer from County Cork who was arrested for human trafficking while volunteering in Lesbos, Greece. That was someone who clearly had absolutely no financial or material benefit but was stepping into the...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021: Second Stage (29 Sep 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...have something as a defence, but you may be waiting for trial for two years, in limbo, or facing the cost of a case, which we know is happening. In 2018 we had a humanitarian volunteer from County Cork accused of human trafficking while volunteering in Lesbos, Greece. In March we had Italian prosecutors charging dozens of rescuers from Save the Children and Médicins Sans...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...been made for the LNG terminal but there have been signals of an intent to make that application. If we were to introduce a ban at this point, it would be in place prior to any application, whether in Cork or any other part of the country. It would send a signal related not to a specific matter but to the policy of the State, whereby we will not import fracked gas. This is important....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (24 May 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is correct to say we need to take a stand on human rights. There are human rights issues on several levels in the news today. We have heard about the human rights violations in Cork, where a young girl has talked about living in an abandoned place that people forgot about. A member of the Traveller community has spoken about the absolutely unacceptable circumstances in which Travellers...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Decarbonising Transport: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Mar 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...to ask Professor McKinnon about freight and the TEN-T reforms in respect of ports and rail. The individual rail journeys in Ireland are quite short and we have rail connections between Rosslare, Cork and Dublin, as well as Belfast from a shared island perspective. How can we look to be more ambitious about how we connect port and rail freight and make a bigger case in that regard,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Oct 2020)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ..., as well as in the overall budget? I am interested in another area of proofing. Professor Buckley does not need to comment on the specific example I am choosing, that of the Porcupine Basin in Cork. The impact of drilling on the habitat was examined but the impact on climate was to be examined separately. Together, they may have added up to a reason not to proceed. The...

Seanad: Sustainable Tourism: Statements (16 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...pressed as they should be. A proper rail service is important for the survival of ports. Post Brexit we will need more port links with mainland Europe. A ferry link has been established between Cork harbour and Santander in northern Spain. I apologise if I am incorrect but I believe one cannot travel as a foot passenger on the ferry. If our ports are being redeveloped and there will...

Seanad: Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (25 Sep 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...for aspects of the legislation. My colleague spoke about the heartbreaking destruction visited upon the Tallaght wetlands recently. Senator Kelleher and I spoke when the Gearagh woodlands in Cork were devastated by the ESB during the clean-up after Storm Ophelia. This was one of the oldest of ancient woodlands in Ireland. As I look through the public bodies, there is a litany of...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Mr. John Horan (29 Jan 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: .... I have been lucky to experience twice the glory of Galway winning the all-Ireland hurling final, which is a moment no one forgets. I am proud of my cousin, Nollaig Cleary, who won nine all-Ireland medals with the Cork senior ladies football team. What is important are not only the key moments and wonderful matches and events that people might remember but also, as Mr. Horan noted,...

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: -----on which the procedure would be offered. It is also deeply impractical because at present we have a situation whereby we know there are significant shortages in parts of Cork and other areas. Women are waiting until very late for anomaly scans that may be necessary in terms of perinatal care and ensuring the protection of a baby after birth. Ultrasounds should be medically necessary....

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jul 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I echo the comments made by Senator Lombard about the cessation of a transatlantic flight from Cork Airport. The move made the airline is a classic example of bait and switch. His call for action is very appropriate because Norwegian Airlines handled the matter in a disgraceful manner by making false promises. I want to speak about the increase in the number of racist attacks. I am...

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: ...of military hardware and weaponry from Israel are a matter of concern. I have a further concern over our support for the military hardware industry and was very concerned to read in the Cork newspapers this weekend, for example, of the involvement of the Irish Naval Service in the testing and thus effectively the promotion of military equipment. Perhaps the witnesses might clarify...

Seanad: Heritage Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Mar 2017)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...fires to forestry land. The EPA has raised serious concerns about the damage done by gorse fires. If there is anything on which we need to gather statistics it is certainly this, but we know that in Cork, where statistics have been gathered, from 2012 to 2015 the cost of responding to illegal gorse fires to the fire services was €750,000. This is huge public expenditure. We have...