Results 561-580 of 1,000 for speaker:John McGahon

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (Resumed) (10 May 2022)

John McGahon: I might follow up on that, if that is all right. We all realise that we need to get more apprenticeships into the field to be able to deal with our big retrofit plans. The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, is keen to do that. Mr. Hoyne has seen that the Minister is doing a great deal of work there. The Minister's target is the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (Resumed) (10 May 2022)

John McGahon: That is really excellent. Not only is it about creating new apprenticeships and attracting people into the market, it is also about, as Mr. Hoyne stated earlier, trying either to get people to return from abroad or to take them back home. It is important then that people who are currently in those sectors can segue into the retrofitting market and, as Mr. Hoyne said, play a leading role as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (Resumed) (10 May 2022)

John McGahon: It is not that there is a hidden cohort but that, unfortunately, a substantial number of people who live in protected structures cannot avail of the arrangement. The sooner there is clarity on how people who live in such homes can avail of retrofitting, the better. It would be really useful. I thank the delegates for the information. I really appreciate it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (Resumed) (10 May 2022)

John McGahon: That will be really useful.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (Resumed) (10 May 2022)

John McGahon: I have to hand a reply to a parliamentary question that states: ..."Energy Efficiency in Traditional Buildings" is being developed by DHLGH. My Department and the SEAI are participating in the steering group overseeing the project. The Department hopes to have it published in the next couple of months. That response was last March or April. It would be useful at some stage.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 May 2022)

John McGahon: Before I start, I welcome Councillor Paddy McQuillan. He and I served together on Louth County Council. Although he is from Drogheda and I am from Dundalk, I will not hold that against him. He is a great representative for Drogheda and he is here as a guest of Senator Craughwell. The issue I wish to talk about is as a result of a meeting I had with Paul and Niamh Brady in Dundalk last...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Apr 2022)

John McGahon: A debate that has taken place in other parliaments around the world, most notably in the United Kingdom in the Scottish Parliament and in the French Parliament, is the concept of and debates around long Covid. That is what I would like to ask for today. At some stage in the next couple of months it would be very useful to have the Minister for Health in here for a debate on long Covid. It...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

John McGahon: Amendments Nos. 1 and 6 are related and may be discussed together by agreement.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

John McGahon: Amendments Nos. 2, 100, 101 and 106 are related and may be discussed together by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

John McGahon: Perfect.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

John McGahon: Anybody else? No. Does the Minister have any further comments or is she happy enough? Perfect. I apologise, I did not see Senator Higgins. I call Senator Higgins.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

John McGahon: Amendments Nos. 3, 99, 119, 121, 122 and 172 are related and may be discussed together.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (26 Apr 2022)

John McGahon: Yes, we can do that now, if that suits.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

John McGahon: I have had a number of discussions on hemp in recent months, including with Mr. Paul McCourt, the CEO of Celtic Wind, a company based in Dundalk, County Louth. A number of farmers on the Cooley Peninsula have grown hemp for a large number of years. It is farcical that there is no production facility in this country and that hemp must be exported and then imported. If we had a production...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

John McGahon: We must consider three aspects of hemp production. First, infrastructure is needed which means we need a facility. Second, we need to provide a clear educational programme to the wider society, the Government, politicians and farmers, in particular, because hemp production, etc. could be a real money maker for people who are based in the agriculture sector. Third, some aspects of hemp...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

John McGahon: That is excellent. I thank Mr. Barry.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: New Retrofitting Plan and the Built Environment: Discussion (26 Apr 2022)

John McGahon: Those comments seem to indicate that tight regulations are restrictive. I mean, in terms of fire safety and insurance, and the existing building regulations, the regulations that were put in place over the last ten or 20 years have made it more difficult to build with timber and that is why there has been such a shift to 90% concrete use in the last number of years. We must re-calibrate and...

Seanad: Covid-19: Statements (6 Apr 2022)

John McGahon: I have followed regulations at each point but I am against the concept of reintroducing the mandatory wearing of masks in certain settings. It is not about being anti-mask but rather about acknowledging or realising what stage of the pandemic we are in now compared with before. I am more than happy to wear a mask on a train or bus or if I feel I am in a crowded place. I am happy to do that...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Public Transport (5 Apr 2022)

John McGahon: I am here today to welcome a really progressive and ambitious project that we are embarking upon, which is the youth travel scheme. For those who do not realise it, the youth travel card is providing 50% free cost of travel to those aged between the ages of 17 and 23. The reason I am standing in the Seanad today to raise this in the Commencement debate follows on from a very important...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Public Transport (5 Apr 2022)

John McGahon: I thank the Minister of State for the clarity. The commercial bus operator sector is central in providing an effective and inclusive public transport system. We need to have private operators along with public sector operators. Commuters from my town who get the Matthews bus to Dublin will be discriminated against between 9 May and whenever the Government decides to introduce the 50%...