Results 701-720 of 1,000 for speaker:John McGahon

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

John McGahon: I am so sorry for coming in so late. The danger when you come in at the end is that you will ask questions that have already been asked. It is great to see Mr. Ó Brolcháin here. He would have been in the Seanad with Mark Dearey, who is a good friend of mine in Dundalk.

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

John McGahon: It is low-hanging fruit.

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

John McGahon: That is interesting. I have just finished a biography of Napoleon so it is funny that Mr. Ó Brolcháin mentioned him. If I was not in politics I would love to be a historian.

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

John McGahon: What is key about what Mr. Ó Brolcháin said is the fact that it is low-hanging fruit. If we want to get towards 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...

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

John McGahon: Yes.

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

John McGahon: I hope he is enjoying being back. When we look at a peatlands strategy, does Mr. Ó Brolcháin feel the Government is putting proper emphasis and support behind this or what is his view on where we are going with it?

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (24 Nov 2022)

John McGahon: Last week in my home town of Dundalk the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, was present for the announcement of €11 million for the advanced manufacturing training centre. That brings the total amount of Government funding for the centre to €25 million. This is the only centre of its kind on the island of Ireland. It is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Sequestration and Land Management-Nature Restoration: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

John McGahon: The big issue with carbon sequestration has always related to how to calculate its value in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the European Commission will on 30 November publish rules on how that will be quantified, which will start the debate process in the European Parliament. Naturally, we want to ensure that those calculations are beneficial to carbon farming and that the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Sequestration and Land Management-Nature Restoration: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

John McGahon: My question related to the afforested area. The figure comes from www.forestry.ie.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Sequestration and Land Management-Nature Restoration: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

John McGahon: The Government target is for 17% forest cover. That is the equivalent of 1 million ha of forest, by 2030. Fair enough if that is far too ambitious. If we are at 11% now., what should we be aiming for?

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Nov 2022)

John McGahon: I wish to discuss the concept of cross-Border health. The emergency department at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, is coming under more pressure because of the large population boom in north Dublin and parts of Meath, including Navan. The Border is causing a major problem in areas like Dundalk and Newry, particularly for Daisy Hill Hospital. The NHS views Daisy Hill Hospital as...

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

John McGahon: I would like to provide some historical context as to Ireland’s neutrality. I provide that by quoting from the Viscount Cranborne, who was the British Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs and wrote to the British War Cabinet on 21 February 1945. He outlined 13 examples of how the Irish Republic was assisting with the Allied war effort. Some of those 14 examples were: 3. They...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Nov 2022)

John McGahon: Fianna Fáil was not listening.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Nov 2022)

John McGahon: As we approach Christmas, it would be timely to have a debate on the retail sector and how important it is to the Irish economy. Coming from a Border town like Dundalk, I have seen over the years how resilient both the retail sector and consumers have to be.Over the decades we have had to deal with currency fluctuations on both sides of the Border, Covid and Brexit. An example of how we...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Nov 2022)

John McGahon: Last Friday, I attended the launch of the renaming of Braymore Wind Park as Setanta Wind Park. This is going to be located 9 km off the coast of Clogherhead in County Louth and will be of great benefit to counties Louth, Meath and north Dublin. The whole point of this wind farm is that it is going to generate 1 GW of renewable energy annually, which will power more than 1 million homes and...

Seanad: Water Environment (Abstractions and Associated Impoundments) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (30 Nov 2022)

John McGahon: When is proposed to take the next Stage?

Seanad: Water Environment (Abstractions and Associated Impoundments) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (30 Nov 2022)

John McGahon: Is that agreed? Agreed.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Rail Network (1 Dec 2022)

John McGahon: I am bringing this issue to the House today for a number of reasons, but the first key reason is that since this Government has come into office, as the Minister of State will know, there has been a very strong shift towards the use of public transport in so many guises and forms. The way we can encourage people onto more public transport is to provide the opportunities for them to use it in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Rail Network (1 Dec 2022)

John McGahon: I thank the Minister of State very much. I see where he is coming from. This is an issue that has been talked about for 40 years. I did not come to the House today expecting to be told that Government is going to look at it. This has been an ongoing issue. This type of stuff with the regulations made sense before Covid-19. There has been a total sea change in Irish attitudes towards...