Results 61-80 of 80 for long speaker:John McGahon

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Transport Policy (21 Sep 2021)

John McGahon: ...learn from high-speed rail on the Continent, in China, Japan and Spain? They have faced issues we can use and take into the report that is being launched by the Government. I am keen to know how long the all-island report announced in April by both Ministers will take. As research and preparation for this Commencement debate, I spent the past day or so reading up on high-speed rail...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: The EU and Irish Unity - Planning and Preparing for Constitutional Change in Ireland: Discussion (16 Feb 2021)

John McGahon: ...the points mentioned in the report was about voting rights. The witnesses said that we need a much more generous and inclusive franchise on both sides of the Border for this referendum when it comes along. In Professor Harvey and Mr. Bassett's views, what is a generous franchise? South of the Border, for example, is that opening it up to non-Irish citizens who currently cannot vote in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Flood Risk Management (19 Jan 2022)

John McGahon: ...cannot do anything about it until this project has reached a certain stage. Once it has reached a certain area, we can then start applying to the Government for funding for greenways. A greenway along this area would be very important for tourism, but it will not happen until this project is brought to a certain level. It would be good to know at what stage in this process the Minister...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Oct 2023)

John McGahon: ...moment with different constituents and groups ahead of budget 2024. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting with Aoibheann Lynch, who is the principal of St. Peter's National School, Dromiskin, along with Andre O'Connell, who is a primary school teacher in St. Joseph's National School, Dundalk. Both Aoibheann and Andre outlined some of the priorities of the Irish National Teachers'...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Mar 2022)

John McGahon: ...testament of any country is to be able to welcome refugees from a war-torn country with love, compassion and open arms and make sure they are valued, safe and appreciated members of Irish society for however long they want to stay here. It may only be for a couple of months or years or they may want to stay here for even longer. They are very welcome here and it is very important. It is...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (7 Dec 2022)

John McGahon: ...two years in the Oireachtas, this is certainly a speech I am quite nervous to make. There is certainly no pressure. I first met Terry Brennan when I was nine years of age when he was running alongside my dad in the 1999 local elections. Terry was the scourge of any Fine Gael Dundalk candidate because, even though he was from the rural part of the constituency in Carlingford, he always...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Waste Management (22 Mar 2021)

John McGahon: ...and while you can definitely see some change in companies trying to be more sustainable we are still very far off being as sustainable as we would like to be if we want to prevent climate change and the long-lasting effects it will have on our future generation and I am very worried if we don’t do something now that the earth that we will be passing on to my children and their...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Departmental Schemes (11 Apr 2024)

John McGahon: ...as we see rising costs for building supplies, for example. This scheme has worked very well. We have seen a huge increase in the number of commencements in the past 12 months as a result of it. As long ago as last September or October, only a couple of months after the scheme was introduced, Senators Cummins and Doherty started the process when they said in the House that perhaps the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Textbooks (21 Jun 2023)

John McGahon: I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter. The reason I am raising this in the House is as a result of a conversation with a long-time friend of mine, Tom Muckian, from Dundalk who is an independent bookseller in the town for more than two decades. He brought up three issues with the free books scheme from a bookseller's point of view. I am raising those three issues in the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (15 Jun 2023)

John McGahon: ...wish, because staffing arrangements in the HSE are different in Louth and Meath compared with Laois, Offaly, Cavan or Monaghan. It is upsetting to say the least that this is happening. For as long as I am a Member of this House, I will continue to fight for people in my county of Louth and my town of Dundalk have the same right of access to palliative care as that of people in other...

Seanad: Death of Former Taoiseach: Expressions of Sympathy (7 Feb 2024)

John McGahon: It has been a very sad few days for Fine Gael, which like most political parties in this country is a family or tribe, as such, and John was our leader for a very long time so there is a huge tinge of sadness there. When I look at John Bruton, I look at a man who gave definition to politics, to Fine Gael and to his role as a leader and Taoiseach. He was absolutely unequivocal in his...

Seanad: Right to Housing: Motion (4 Jun 2021)

John McGahon: ...authorities in doing it. If we could implement a dedicated funding scheme, similar to the voids programme, to give money to local authorities for compulsory purchase orders for vacant homes, that could go a long way. I saw last night when Richard Bruton was on "The Tonight Show" and I have seen in this House a bit that this whole debate around housing is ideologically driven. The point I...

Seanad: Annual Transition Statement on Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015: Statements (9 Dec 2020)

John McGahon: ...level. A viable alternative to achieving these emission reductions in the residential sector at no cost to the State is mandating a switch to low carbon and solid fuels in homes, followed by the long-awaited smoky coal ban. The ambition the Government has is in no short measure a result of the Minister and his Green Party colleagues sitting at the Cabinet table and my Green Party...

Seanad: Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Second Stage (1 Dec 2020)

John McGahon: ...the UK in general. They have little or no conception of what the social aspect of the Border is, and the social fabric that exists, from Omeath, County Louth all the way up to Donegal and right along and in between. The type of social fabric that I am talking about could include anything, whether it is being married to someone from across the Border, the kids going to school in north...

Seanad: Good Friday Agreement: Motion (10 May 2021)

John McGahon: ...between Dublin and Belfast is another very important idea. These are ways to bring our people closer together with connectivity and with the social fabric of border areas. On the preparations, as long as I have known him in this House Senator Ó Donnghaile has spoken about this so much and he is quite correct that it has to be about preparation and prepare, prepare, prepare. The...

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

John McGahon: ...going with the main suggestion, which involves member states making payments to those most at risk in paying their energy bills. This is being financed through the EU emissions trading system. Along with implementing such measures, it is important that we consider introducing safeguards to make sure energy companies cannot disconnect people's energy supply. This would be useful if...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Second Stage (22 Feb 2022)

John McGahon: ...was, how to identify it and how to react to it. If we did something like that to prepare Irish children for the online world, which is different than when some of us were younger, it would go a long way. The reason we must introduce this legislation is because it would be insane for us to rely on big tech companies to regulate themselves. It will never happen. They have tried to do it....

Seanad: Recognition of Irish Military Service at Jadotville in 1961: Statements (11 Nov 2020)

John McGahon: ...and why I believe we should have these medals awarded, I pay tribute to individuals, like Senator Craughwell and former Senator Gabrielle McFadden, who were lone voices in the wilderness for so long. They are now being joined by a chorus of voices, from all political parties and none, in both Houses of the Oireachtas. One need only search kildarestreet.comfor "Jadotville" to find a...

Seanad: Report of Independent Review Group Jadotville: Statements (15 Jul 2021)

John McGahon: ...of the few people in recent years who has put a significant effort into this issue and that is to be commended. As regards the report, on one level it is quite disappointing that it is 480 pages long as it is difficult to delve into a document of that length and be able to debate and give a considered response on the issue five or six hours later. I am sure the Minister will accept that....

Seanad: The Political Situation in Northern Ireland: Statements (25 Oct 2023)

John McGahon: ...is the politics behind it? Why are you guys, as a Government, after 13 years in power since 2010, now deciding that this Bill has to happen at this point in time?" He said to me that it had been a long-standing commitment of all Governments since 1998 and that the current Government was going to do something about it. That is all hogwash, however, because three days previously, at the...