Results 21-40 of 1,000 for speaker:John McGahon

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Jul 2024)

John McGahon: One of the issues I want to discuss is the deposit return scheme, of which I am hugely supportive. It is a scheme I have not personally been involved in. As a member of the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action and as the climate action spokesperson, however, it is something I have been following very closely for the past two years. It is an excellent scheme. The greatest...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (2 Jul 2024)

John McGahon: It is good to see the Minister of State back in the House. I want to follow up on a point made by Senator Currie. She said that she knows how much it means to families all over the country to have childminders. That comment brought be back to my own childhood. I am 33 now and my brother and I had a childminder in 1993. Our childminder was a woman called Rose English from Greengates in...

Seanad: Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (25 Jun 2024)

John McGahon: I wish to follow on from my colleague Senator Paddy Burke. This legislation is very much about bringing confidence to people who work in the charity sector but also to the members of the public who donate to it. That is the key aspect. The Minister of State said there are 11,500 charities in this country. I am amazed that the number is that high. When I was watching “The Tonight...

Seanad: National Cancer Services: Motion (19 Jun 2024)

John McGahon: I will raise two or three issues before I get into the wider context. The first is the issue of palliative care, which I raised in the House a year ago. This is the result of a HSE decision. The CHO 8 area, as the Minister of State knows, covers counties Louth, Meath, Laois and Offaly. A decision was made by the HSE that in the Louth and Meath areas, only clinical nurse specialists would...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jun 2024)

John McGahon: It is great to have the students from St. Oliver's in Drogheda here. They are very welcome to Leinster House and I hope they have a great day with Deputy O'Dowd. I have two issues to reference about the local elections. We must do something about spoiled ballots where the polling clerks are not stamping ballots correctly. I accept they are there from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. and that human...

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2024)

John McGahon: Now.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 May 2024)

John McGahon: The Order of Business is No. 1, Private Members' business, Protection of Private Residencies (Against Targeted Picketing) Bill 2021 - Order for Committee Stage and Committee Stage, to be taken at 11.45 a.m.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 May 2024)

John McGahon: I join with the Leas-Chathaoirleach in welcoming Mabyn and Pat all the way from the great state of Louisiana. They are both very welcome as guests of our Leas-Chathaoirleach, who is extremely well-known, not just on Capitol Hill but right across the United States of America. That is indicated by their presence here. We really appreciate that. Senator Ardagh raised the matter of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

John McGahon: The witnesses have effectively taken apart the presentation of two weeks ago from Professor John FitzGerald with their six points, and that is what is good about these debates, where people appear before the committee and present one view, and a week or two later, someone else comes in and is able, quite systematically, to put an alternative view, based on facts, so I appreciate that....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

John McGahon: I thank Professor McGuinness. On the final page of the document, he stated, “In this case, the level of transition costs can be covered by the Irish State through a modest increase in borrowing or taxation.” We were talking two weeks ago about, for example, the concept of a solidarity tax that would be paid on top of income tax for a certain number of years. In his view, what...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

John McGahon: This issue was discussed two weeks ago and is in line with Senator Black's point of view. Two weeks ago, we dealt with one report, which was quite substantial in what the authors were saying, whereas now we are dealing with a report that is much more moderate in its outlook. It is incumbent on either the Government or whoever else to come to somewhere in the middle and take some points from...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

John McGahon: Following on from that, is it the case our debt position would substantially improve in a united Ireland?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Island Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2024)

John McGahon: I spoke to Deputy Conway-Walsh earlier about this. From her calculations, she predicts that if Irish unity were to happen today, our debt-to-GNI ratio could go from 72% to 60%. That, again, is something that, when the debate comes around, would be another really good debate point or selling point to the Irish public in respect of how it would look.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 May 2024)

John McGahon: A couple of weeks ago, I met with Retailers Against Smuggling, a group that will have met many in this House already, to discuss some of the issues around illegal cigarette smuggling and retailers. When I say "retailers", I am talking about shop owners. Shop owners are really losing out. One of the reasons for that is the fact that Revenue has only three scanners around all our ports in...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 May 2024)

John McGahon: It is great to have the parents from CBS Dundalk here. I really appreciate that they get to come here and see our national Parliament. I congratulate everyone involved with the Louth football team. What an incredible performance that was at the weekend. To come within the four points of arguably the greatest football team known was something to be really proud of for all those...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Ireland Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (2 May 2024)

John McGahon: This has been a really good debate so far. Professor FitzGerald touched on my view around this, which is that if a referendum was held it is somewhat likely to be passed in the North but could get defeated here based on the cost. I say that as someone who comes from the Border region in Dundalk. I say that as someone who would vote for a united Ireland regardless of the cost. That is my...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: All-Ireland Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (2 May 2024)

John McGahon: I absolutely agree that the gap has to narrowed and that this must come from Northern Ireland. I do not mean to be disrespectful but I just do not see how that gap is going to be narrowed when Northern Ireland has only had a government up and running and functioning for some of the past few years. How are these radical changes in Northern Ireland to be made? These changes would be...

Seanad: Gnó an tSeanaid - Business of Seanad: Sports Funding (1 May 2024)

John McGahon: I thank the Cathaoirleach for accepting this Commencement matter and the Minister of State for coming to discuss this important issue. I will provide some context as to why I am raising this matter. I have met Katie Byrne from Dundalk, who has been working for the Irish Wheelchair Association since the age of 18. At the age of 18, she took an interest in wheelchair basketball and providing...

Seanad: Gnó an tSeanaid - Business of Seanad: Sports Funding (1 May 2024)

John McGahon: I thank the Minister of State. Individual clubs do not apply for sports capital funding any more. That was changed. The national organisations now apply for funding, which they then put out to the clubs. I noticed something in the Minister of State's reply that I would really like to comment on because it is a good thing. I refer to the dormant accounts funding. That is a really good...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Apr 2024)

John McGahon: I raise the proposed changes to the parental leave age limit in the Civil Service. This has come to me from a former colleague in Louth County Council, Maria Doyle. Her words are much better than mine. It is somewhat complex and I want to put this on the record because I do not think the memo and the proposed changes are particularly fair. Prior to the attached memo, parental leave was...