Results 41-60 of 80 for long speaker:John McGahon

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Jan 2022)

John McGahon: ...We can see that in Eden’s case, and it was put across very forcefully by his father, Raymond, and his mother, Maggie. It was one of the most heart-wrenching interviews I have watched in a very long time. As to why I am raising it, this is something I am going to write to the Minister for Education about and I think this would be a very valuable idea if it was to happen. I...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (24 Oct 2023)

John McGahon: ...in this House with the Minister would be very welcome. Dundalk is the biggest town in Ireland, with one of the most successful football teams in the country and, in the case of Dundalk Football Club, a long and proud footballing tradition.Its stadium at Oriel Park, however, is reminiscent of a football ground in the 1960s or 1970s and that is why I am calling for a debate on large-scale...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Feb 2023)

John McGahon: ...authorities. I would appreciate a debate because I believe there is a lot of good practice that could be learned from other local authorities around the country that have already embarked on this, a long time before the Government or anyone was advocating for it. I speak about this with Louth County Council in mind. That council started using compulsory purchase orders as far back as...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Feb 2021)

John McGahon: ...the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, the urgency of a decision being made at least in order that the council can determine where it will go from there. The council has been waiting around for too long now. I fully accept and understand that Covid-19 restrictions have slowed the process down but I would appreciate it if the Leader could convey the urgency to the Minister. The decision...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Oct 2023)

John McGahon: ...small and medium businesses and ensure our small country on the periphery of the European Continent continues to punch above its weight in attracting a level of business support and jobs into this country. Long may it continue. Perhaps at some stage we will be able to have a debate on the general state of the Irish economy and some of the measures the Department of Enterprise, Trade and...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Jul 2020)

John McGahon: ...transporting children to school in rural Ireland. The chairperson of the CTTC, John Halpenny, comes from my neck of the woods in Dundalk, County Louth. He is involved in Halpenny's Travel and I had a long conversation with him on Wednesday during which he outlined a couple of points. He told me there are 1,721 coach operators in Ireland, carrying a total of 75 million passengers a year...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Jul 2020)

John McGahon: .... The Togher community project group has operated a community employment scheme and continues to run a community crèche in a rural part of County Louth. They took over the local parochial hall on a long-term lease to open and operate the crèche and it has been running as a not-for-profit company for the past 20 years, providing an important service in the area. On Monday, 6...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Road Projects (24 May 2021)

John McGahon: ...and north Louth, and for communities on the other side of the Border, like Warrenpoint, Rostrevor and Newry. It is a symbolic thing to connect those communities which have been apart for so long because of issues in the Troubles and everything else. Carlingford Lough is already quite connected through the Carlingford ferry at the mouth of the lough, which goes from Greenore to...

Seanad: Education: Statements (28 Jul 2020)

John McGahon: ...to the patronage of Louth and Meath Education and Training Board. I also want to raise the issue of the Teaching Council. Many citizens in Northern Ireland train to become teachers but it takes a long time for them to process the registration of their qualifications so they can be appointed to jobs here in the South. Whether a school is in Dundalk or Donegal, when we need so many new...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Establishment of an Independent Public Inquiry into the Murder of Pat Finucane: Motion (26 Nov 2020)

John McGahon: ...to legislators across the world, whether in the US Congress or the Oireachtas, trying to bring a Government, which made a clear-cut commitment to the family, to deliver on what was promised so long ago. Personally, I hope John Finucane gets the answer he deserves before 30 November. Moving forward, there are more people with more experience on Northern Ireland than I have, but the only...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Sep 2020)

John McGahon: ...if this House could convey to the Minister for Defence and to the Taoiseach the urgency of having these medals awarded. I am sure we can all agree that 59 years for bravery in action is far too long a wait.

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

John McGahon: ...work on time. If we put a bit of accountability on Irish Rail such that there would be financial penalties for the company and financial reward for consumers if trains are delayed, it would go a long way towards encouraging more people to take the train. They would know that if there were exceptional delays, there would at least be value for money given back in the context of their...

Seanad: Disregard of Certain Criminal Records of Gay Men: Motion (17 May 2023)

John McGahon: I have the unenviable task of following an incredible contribution from Senator Norris. What a privilege it is to serve in this House alongside someone who has fought for so long for equal rights, since he was first elected to this House in 1987 and in his academic career before that. I would also like to thank my colleagues in Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion and to...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Feb 2022)

John McGahon: It is great to see Senator O'Reilly in the Acting Leader's chair today. No doubt she will do an excellent job. The issue I will raise again, which I have been talking about for a long time, is the concept of the three-day taxsaver flexi ticket for commuters. The National Transport Authority, NTA, wrote to me last Friday to say that after 18 months of telling me it was going to introduce...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2021)

John McGahon: ...strategy group last week, which put forward changes to the VRT system. This will mean the tax rates on regular car emissions would increase by 2% and 5%. The issue is that we want to reach our ambitious long-term climate action targets while at the same time, other arms of Government are coming out with proposals that will hinder and slow this down. Many people in this country want to...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (21 Jun 2021)

John McGahon: ...of the Oireachtas and worked with people on the committee who have spent a lifetime of work dedicated to climate action. These are people who were talking about the process of climate change long before I was born. As a new member of the Oireachtas, participation on the committee has been a challenge but it has also been a great learning curve and a joy. Today's legislation is similar...

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

John McGahon: ...and executives of councils, whether we like it or not, can do whatever they wish. They are not accountable to the Oireachtas. Nobody is asking chief executives why the housing list is always so long, why there have not been any transfers in the county for X amount of time or why the collection of rates has been notoriously poor in that local authority. I was a councillor for six years,...

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

John McGahon: ..., but it is oversubscribed. Those six students will be without a space for September 2023. What will be done in the short term, by September 2023, to try to accommodate those extra students? What will be done in the long term for the years from 2024 to 2028 to ensure the 144 pupils currently in primary education have a space when they reach secondary school?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Business of Joint Committee
Engagement with WAVE Trauma Centre (9 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: ..., we met Mr. McConville and others. What stuck me was how it paled in comparison when I considered that these were families by themselves, with little or no political support, trying to trudge along with it. They were not having their cases championed by political parties. They were not having their cases brought to Westminster, the Dáil or Stormont. They have been trudging along...