Results 1-20 of 44 for going forward speaker:John McGahon

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Shared Island Unit: Department of the Taoiseach (7 Mar 2024)

John McGahon: ...problems for people from the part of the world the Chair represents. I will make one further point that again highlights why the shared island fund is so important. I note that €1.5 million is going towards the completion of the Carlingford to Newry greenway. It is a fantastic project in one of the most scenic parts of this country. However, it started 12 years ago. It has...

Seanad: Private Rental Sector: Motion (6 Mar 2024)

John McGahon: ...the Government or a developer or whether it is on public or private land. They want to be able to work hard and have a good income, buy a home and start a family with whoever their partner is and get going. I sometime bring some of my mates into this Chamber. I would love if they were sitting in the Gallery. They do not have a huge interest in politics but they would laugh at some of...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Feb 2024)

John McGahon: ...my home town of Dundalk. I met an individual who is a tiler and that person outlined to me how there are currently no apprenticeships in tiling. We have apprenticeships for virtually every career going and we want to have 10,000 apprenticeships every year as part of our strategy, yet we do not have a dedicated apprenticeship for tiling. This is a very important issue and something the...

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

John McGahon: ...Minister of State, both of whom are from the city where this will be implemented, I make my comments with that in mind. The concept of directly elected mayors is an excellent one. It is the way forward for local government. My vision for local government would be to see a directly elected mayor for every local authority, for example, Louth, Donegal and Meath county councils. My vision...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Nov 2023)

John McGahon: I accept where we are in the legal process and I take the Leas-Chathaoirleach's guidance on that. The point that I am trying to make is that this was not just one community going out looting and causing problems and hassle. It was people who came to an area of violence that had kicked off. They were people from different communities, backgrounds and socioeconomic backgrounds who came to...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 Jul 2023)

John McGahon: A number of weeks ago, I raised the issue of train delays, particularly on the Enterprise service between Dundalk and Belfast where there were 21 individual delays over a 13-day period. I did some research about what happens on the Continent and discovered that the Danish system is really effective in the context of train delays, travel guarantees and the money given back to customers. In...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 May 2023)

John McGahon: I would like to discuss the rural regeneration applications that go through the Department of Rural and Community Development under the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. Millions of euro have been pumped into communities right around this country. In my own county of Louth, €30 million from that Department has gone into rural regeneration projects. The issue I have with the scheme is that...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Mar 2023)

John McGahon: A very important vote is taking place today in the House of Commons on the Windsor Framework agreement. It is clear that vote is going to pass with a resounding majority. Even parts of the Conservative Party that were for a long time sceptical about it are going to back this deal. That sends a strong message about how important it is going to be to have the institutions in Northern Ireland...

Seanad: Ireland's Military Neutrality: Motion [Private Members] (23 Nov 2022)

John McGahon: ...to our establishing a Radar station in Southern Ireland for the use against the latest form of submarine activity. That is what we were doing in the Second World War when it comes to neutrality. Fast forward to the 1960s, it was American aircraft that were flying Irish troops to the Congo. It was German aircraft that were flying Irish troops to Mali. It was an agreement that existed,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (16 Nov 2022)

John McGahon: ...It does not just cater for County Louth but also for people coming from County Meath and south Monaghan. It has a very big catchment area and it is difficult for anyone in that region to have to go to either Drogheda or Dundalk to get a train. I would like to see a dedicated Government strategy being brought forward to look at reopening our rural rail services, which have been closed for...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Renewable Energy Generation (10 Nov 2022)

John McGahon: That is excellent. The whole point I am bringing forward is to get the Government thinking about this technology. I am pleased to see it is willing to do that. The Minister of State has come to the House to say it is not accessible as of today but, as we progress along our climate action targets for the rest of the decade and beyond, it will become more feasible. It is very important,...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Surviving Cohabitant’s Pension) Bill 2021: Second Stage (26 Oct 2022)

John McGahon: I thank my colleagues in the Labour Party for bringing forward this motion. This important matter first came across my desk in my office in Dundalk a number of months ago. It came across my desk because somebody's partner had passed away and they came into my office to see what kind of financial supports were available. I instantly thought of the widow's pension or something like that. I...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Educational Needs (19 Oct 2022)

John McGahon: ...to try to see what we can do for those types of schools in large provincial towns such as Dundalk that are physically boxed in and do not have the space to expand. I am glad to see there is forward planning but the point is we have 18 spaces in this whole part of north Louth and we have 144 children. I am really heartened to hear that the Minister of State is going to work with me over...

Seanad: Impact of Cost of Living Issues on Young People in Ireland: Motion (28 Sep 2022)

John McGahon: Unfortunately, no speakers from the Gallery are allowed, only Members, whether people put their hands up or not. The point is, without the theatrics, I am putting forward a point of view based on my experience as a young person in this country. I am someone who came out of the height of a recession in 2009. I have seen what my friends in their 20s have done throughout that period and what...

Seanad: School Transport: Motion (21 Sep 2022)

John McGahon: ...into the House not because I am frustrated but because I am upset. We all have personal stories, and no doubt the Minister has the same issue in her constituency of Kerry, of parents who are going through serious issues, be they health or financial issues or whatever. The last thing these parents need is to be worrying about a school bus ticket. The last thing they need is to ask...

Seanad: Carbon Policy: Motion (19 May 2022)

John McGahon: ...failed on this occasion. More power to you and fair play if you are willing to make the right decision, as Senator Keogan mentioned, to say that this is the right thing for us to do. It may be a good idea or the right thing to do but it will not get us there any quicker than renewable energy will. If this was a magic bullet that would get us there quicker I would be all for it. I would...

Seanad: Regulation of Display of Electoral and Polling Posters and Other Advertisements Bill 2022: Second Stage (17 May 2022)

John McGahon: ...the ladder, broke a rib or two and, a week later, lost his seat to a former Member of this House, former Senator Mark Dearey from Dundalk. That was my first experience with posters. It was not a good one and it was not a good election for my family either, but since then I have come to love posters and see their value in the political system and campaigns. I commend Senator Pauline...

Seanad: Media Report on Governance in Local Authorities: Statements (12 May 2022)

John McGahon: The point I want to address is the concept of local government as we know it today. I spent five years on Louth County Council. The current format is fundamentally flawed. The reason is because the people who are supposed to hold the chief executive and director of services to account are technically the county councillors. They are the people who supposed to hold them to account to make...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Engagement with Representatives from the Committee on the Administration of Justice (24 Feb 2022)

John McGahon: I might come in first with a couple of questions because our time is limited. Mr. Holder outlined the international mechanisms that will be open to the Government to challenge the legacy Bill if it goes forward. Is the European Court of Human Rights the key international mechanism in that regard? This is a bit of a hypothetical question but, if that were to happen, what would be the...

Seanad: Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Bill 2022: Second Stage (15 Feb 2022)

John McGahon: The electricity costs emergency benefit scheme we are talking about forms part of a package of budget interventions put forward in October 2021 by the European Union, including the Commission's toolbox of interventions that allow member states to go about tackling rising energy costs. I ask everyone to read the supporting documentation today. It is really interesting. The tools will serve...