Results 181-200 of 1,000 for speaker:John McGahon

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Energy Poverty: Discussion (23 May 2023)

John McGahon: Ms Petrie spoke of the concept of community energy provider advisers. That is a good idea. Members of the public can be somewhat overwhelmed by the bureaucracy and red tape associated with applications. How would that work in reality? Would local authorities provide this service or would it work well in community welfare offices? Who are the community energy advisers? Who pays them and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Energy Poverty: Discussion (23 May 2023)

John McGahon: Those are good examples, and I appreciate that. I accept the working family payment is not a qualifying payment for the fuel allowance but there are 20 other qualifying social welfare payments for the fuel allowance. When I googled a recent parliamentary question, the reply stated 46,000 families are in receipt of the working family payment. This year, when we have increased the fuel...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Energy Poverty: Discussion (23 May 2023)

John McGahon: That would be excellent. The reason I ask is the fact that, on one hand, we have so many qualifying payments, which is great but, on the other, I am concerned about how many of those 46,000 are not availing of any of the payments that would allow them to get the fuel allowance in the first place. I will move on to Ms O'Connor. She mentioned the fully funded energy upgrade scheme and that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Energy Poverty: Discussion (23 May 2023)

John McGahon: No, that is perfect. Ms O'Connor said Friends of the Earth produced an analysis of the hugely damaging health effects of burning oil and gas in the home in a report entitled, Health Impacts of Fossil Fuels in Our Homes. Will she give a brief outline of some of the health impacts for people who burn oil in their homes?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Energy Poverty: Discussion (23 May 2023)

John McGahon: That is no problem.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Energy Poverty: Discussion (23 May 2023)

John McGahon: I thank Ms O'Connor. I may come back in again on the second round.

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 (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: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: EU Directives (9 May 2023)

John McGahon: At the outset, the concept of this Commencement debate looks somewhat technical but I will give the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, the context in which I raise it. I am raising it following a visit by the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, and me to Coláiste Chú Chulainn, a secondary school in Dundalk, County Louth, last week ahead of Europe Day today. First, that...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: EU Directives (9 May 2023)

John McGahon: I thank the Minister of State. As I said, when we are reading any European legislation, we wonder what it actually means. This came in on 30 November 1994. How many students in a second level school in Ireland had a non-Irish passport at that time? The number would have been much lower in 1994 than it is in 2023. It is much more prevalent and important today. I thank the Minister of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Engagement with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (9 May 2023)

John McGahon: I have three quick questions that I will throw out and the commission might answer one after the other. In January of this year, we were looking at 28 cent/kWh to 31 cent/kWh for domestic use. In February 2023, that went down to between 24 cent/kWh and 26 cent/kWh. From the height of the energy crisis, that is down roughly 44 cent-plus. Before the energy crisis started, it was on average...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Engagement with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (9 May 2023)

John McGahon: Okay. In Mr. Gannon's opening statement he spoke about the need to try to expand the commission's staffing and how there is a particular labour shortage in the Irish energy sector. With that in mind, what is the commission doing, perhaps across the EU, to try to attract people here to meet that shortfall?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Engagement with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (9 May 2023)

John McGahon: What is being done to target graduates? Is the CRU going out to universities across the world selling Ireland, saying to people that they should come and work here and asking them to fill the gap? How are graduates targeted for that recruitment drive?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Engagement with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (9 May 2023)

John McGahon: Following on from Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan earlier, it was mentioned that Ireland has a geographical disadvantage when it comes to trying to attract competition into the market. What are we doing to try to attract more companies to the Irish market to create competition?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Engagement with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (9 May 2023)

John McGahon: The market will be a different one by then. The EU Commissioner is appearing in the Seanad so I have to go, unfortunately.

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

John McGahon: I would like a debate on public lighting in this country, and what our local authorities are doing to try to increase our energy efficiency with public lighting. We have 31 local authorities with 480,000 public lights across the country. Local authorities have already embarked on a process of changing them to LED lighting to make them more carbon efficient and environmentally-friendly....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Cross-Border Co-operation (30 Mar 2023)

John McGahon: I wish to discuss cross-Border tourism initiatives, focusing on the Carlingford ferry, a ferry service that goes from the shore in Greenore across Carlingford Lough to Greencastle, County Down. It is similar to several other ferries that operate around this island, particularly in Strangford Lough and between Tarbert, County Kerry, and County Clare. Making sure the communities on both sides...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Cross-Border Co-operation (30 Mar 2023)

John McGahon: As I said at the outset of this debate, and as the Minister of State mentioned, the reason I have raised this matter is because of the value and importance of the Carlingford Lough ferry not just to the local community in north Louth but also to the local community in south County Down. While I accept that the concept of this is transport related, and perhaps is an issue that rests with the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Mar 2023)

John McGahon: I wish to speak about the vacant homes grant the Government announced a number of months ago. We all know what that grant is. It is an excellent scheme allowing people to get between €30,000 and €50,000 to renovate derelict and vacant homes. I would like a debate on the operation of the scheme which has now been open for three months. I am concerned about how different local...

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

John McGahon: No pressure, a Chathaoirligh.