Results 21-40 of 80 for long speaker:John McGahon

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Covid-19 Pandemic (26 Apr 2021)

John McGahon: .... Prior to Covid-19 it was more difficult to make that happen, but it makes sense now and we should look at doing that. The second ask is that the flash glucose monitoring devices be added to the long-term illness scheme. It is really important we do that. It is €1,000 per annum cheaper, the health arguments are clear and the financial arguments are clear. For those basic...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Sequestration and Land Management-Nature Restoration: Discussion (15 Nov 2022)

John McGahon: ...our 2030 targets, which are seven or eight years away, we have to look at all of that low-hanging fruit across every sector of Irish society and go for it full throttle. Sometimes we can get lost in the long-term vision of what we have to do, rather than what we can do within three, six or nine months at a political level. It is good to hear that Mr. Ó Brolcháin believes that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020 (Arrangements in relation to Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases): Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (7 Oct 2020)

John McGahon: ...point No. 12 in the remarks which were provided to us beforehand by Mr. Close, stating that this would require the individuals to retrain if they do not get the certificates verified in time. How long would it take for an individual to retrain if they have missed all of those deadlines? On the 13th point in the document, stating that the period is going to be extended further beyond the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Jan 2024)

John McGahon: I would like to be associated with the comments made by my colleagues on the death of John Connor. John served for a long time as a Member of Dáil Éireann and of Seanad Éireann. Indeed, when Longford was in the same constituency as Roscommon, there were some very close battles between him and the late Louis Belton. On each occasion, though, where either Louis or John lost...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (8 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: ...an SA for three to four years. It is a very tough job to do all by yourself. If a Senator is also trying to run for election to the Dáil, an SA is doing the work of two or three people. It is long overdue that we try to do something for people who are a very valuable part, not only of our offices, but of the fabric of the Oireachtas. It is wrong that in this day and age they...

Seanad: Public Transport: Motion (3 Nov 2021)

John McGahon: ...our entire island with railways. Then, for whatever reason, through whatever the consensus was at the time, we ripped up a lot of those railways and we are now replacing them with greenways. My long-term vision for this country is that we will be so interconnected with greenways that we will be able to go from one end of the country to the other quite safely and along greenways. It is...

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (30 Jun 2022)

John McGahon: ...to have the Minister of State here in the Seanad. We have a number of amendments and I have a few with Senator Dooley. Some of the later ones I would like to get into are a bit more meaty, so I will not propose to spend too long on amendments Nos. 3 and 4. The reason we are bringing forward these amendments is because definitions are important. The more scope that we can have around...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Implementation of the New National Retrofit Plan: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (5 Apr 2022)

John McGahon: ...scrap the tax altogether. My view is that it is an important measure and we must use it to work towards retrofitting homes. If people understood what it is being used for, then we could go a long way in doing that. This brings me to my next point. Sometimes the public understanding is that retrofitting homes is expensive and hassle-filled. That is not the case, however, because we are...

Seanad: Energy Security: Statements (2 Nov 2021)

John McGahon: ...affecting this country but many European states across the Continent. We have to ask ourselves what the best approach is to protect the Irish consumer in the face of rising energy costs. The best long-term approach to doing that, and what is our primary response as a Government towards a potential energy crisis, is to insulate Irish consumers from volatility in international wholesale...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Mar 2021)

John McGahon: ...chance to acknowledge his passing. In this House, we often pay tribute to former Senators or Deputies when they pass away but we do not pay enough tribute to members of staff who walked these halls for so long and contributed so much to the life and daily running of the Oireachtas. I acknowledge Eoin's passing and send our deepest sympathies to his wife, Carmel, and his children.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Jul 2020)

John McGahon: ...towards Dundalk. At the same time, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is building a greenway from Newry through Victoria Lock to meet the north Louth greenway on the Northern Irish Border. The long-term goal is to have a greenway going right along the coast of County Louth, across the Border, up through Newry and hopefully even past Newry further up into the peninsula. It would be...

Seanad: Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Cap on Market Revenues) Bill 2023: Second Stage (26 Oct 2023)

John McGahon: ...this is a straightforward Bill initiated by the European Union. The Russian invasion of Ukraine was where the issue with electricity prices started. In the early days of 2022, we did not know how long the war in Ukraine or the fluctuation in energy prices was going to last. What was clear within the first six months of the war was the huge profits that energy companies were making off...

Seanad: Electricity Costs (Emergency Measures) Domestic Accounts Bill 2023: Second Stage (8 Nov 2023)

John McGahon: ...work of the budget last year. As I said, we are making it more efficient, which is useful. This all goes back 18 months to when Ukraine was first invaded in early 2022 and we did not know how long the energy crisis or the cost-of-living crisis would continue. It has abated somewhat but it is ongoing. We will not be able to insulate everyone against every price increase. No Government...

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

John McGahon: ...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 back up and running as soon...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Electric Vehicles (14 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: ...have access to a private driveway. The Minister of State mentioned that the Department is working closely with the SEAI and expects a scheme for apartments to open in the near future. That goes a long way towards trying to resolve the very issue that I have raised. I am glad to hear that response from Government today. However, as stated by the Minister of State, we have to make sure...

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

John McGahon: ...queries a lot. I was amazed to see that there is an anomaly within the system and that this is not there. That happens all the time in legislation and with social protection. Things come along and we notice that there is an anomaly or a grey area. For some reason or other, something falls through a crack and then it is up to us as legislators or to the Minister to try to rectify and...

Seanad: Carbon Policy: Motion (19 May 2022)

John McGahon: ...idea, let us sell it to the public and let us bring the public with us and say that nuclear energy is the way we need to go. The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, has just said that it would take a long time to get something like that up and running in Ireland, even if the entire country was for it. It would take so long to build it, get it into the grid and get it working to be able to serve...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: The Northern Ireland Economy: Discussion (8 Dec 2020)

John McGahon: ...about this, it struck me that four of my cousins, funnily enough, are from just across the Border from me in south Armagh. All four went to university in the UK and ended up working there for a long time. None of those four are actually in Northern Ireland now. That really struck me. One looks at that and asks what we must do to try to get those people back into Northern Ireland. Is...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Work Permits (24 Jan 2023)

John McGahon: ...are many examples. These include foreign multinational companies, of which we have a substantial number, who are trying to bring workers in and are not able to do so because of the restrictive and long drawn-out nature of the process. When I looked at Amazon for example, it was responsible for 3.5% of all the work permit applications in 2022. That worked out at roughly 1,394 people....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Jan 2022)

John McGahon: ...other Members of this House will know that I am very committed to the concept of a flexi-ticket for commuters. It is something that I am very passionate about and have been talking about for a long time. I am very confident that it is something that in the next number of weeks or months will get across the line, based on what the National Transport Authority, NTA, is saying. One concern...