Results 681-700 of 1,000 for speaker:John McGahon

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Electric Vehicles (14 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: I welcome the Minister of State for coming to the House. I know she has a very busy portfolio and that this is not in her brief. I appreciate her taking the time to answer this Commencement matter. Before I start into the merits of it, I will give the Minister of State the context of it. I am a big advocate of electric vehicles and of the charging infrastructure, and I was amazed a couple...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Electric Vehicles (14 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: I thank the Minister of State for the very comprehensive reply. The primary focus of the scheme is to provide support for the installation of infrastructure. We need to provide an increased public charging network for those who do not have access to a private driveway. The Minister of State mentioned that the Department is working closely with the SEAI and expects a scheme for apartments...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: This morning, I had a Commencement debate about the provision of electric vehicle charging points to people who do not have access to a private dwelling. Let nobody doubt the importance of the Seanad because a few minutes after I finished speaking, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, announced the very thing I was asking for. That shows clearly that Ministers pay attention to...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: This is it. This is how you deliver stuff. I would be keen to hear the Acting Leader's response on this matter.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: It is already out.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: I rise to raise an issue that is probably suitable for the Cathaoirleach as well as the Leader. It is about the expressions of sympathy for former Members. In the next couple of months we will be hitting the two-year mark of this Seanad term and for the last 18 months we have not been able to have expressions of sympathy. Such expressions are a very important day for the families of former...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Business of Joint Committee
Engagement with WAVE Trauma Centre (9 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: I sincerely apologise for only coming on this call at 3 p.m. This is one of the most important meetings that I have been involved in since becoming a member of this committee more than 18 months ago. I will watch all of the testimony later this evening, from the start to the point that I missed, on the Oireachtas website because it is so important. While I have not met many of the...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (8 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: I did not get an opportunity to contribute a couple of weeks ago when the debate on the pay of secretarial assistants was going on. I was not going to contribute to today's debate but I saw my colleague, Senator Buttimer, and others discussing it and I wanted to put my experience on the record. I believe I can speak with authority on this because I was a secretarial assistant 18 months ago....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: I would like to try to get some clarity in the new year from the Minister for climate action about the concept of one-stop climate shops. There is a clear commitment for this in the programme for Government. It has been discussed in the climate action plan. It is due to be rolled out in the new year. I would like context in regard to how are they actually going to work, how they will be...

Seanad: Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021: Second Stage (7 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: Let the Minister speak.

Seanad: Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021: Second Stage (7 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Seanad: Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021: Second Stage (7 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: Is that agreed? Agreed.

Seanad: Covid-19 and the New Measures (Enterprise, Trade and Employment): Statements (7 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: My whole thing in this debate over the past year is about perspective. I keep using the word time and again. On occasions, perspective is lost in the whole debate. The perspective is that we are performing at the most optimistic levels of where NPHET said we would be a number of weeks ago.The perspective is that this time last year, we did not have the use of vaccines, antigen tests or...

Seanad: Covid-19 and the New Measures (Enterprise, Trade and Employment): Statements (7 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: The irony is certainly not lost on me in relation to that issue.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Further and Higher Education (2 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: I thank the Minister for coming to the House. I know he is extremely busy. It shows his commitment to Dundalk Institute of Technology, DkIT, and the Dundalk region. It has been very disheartening to see all of these technical universities, TUs, starting up yet Dundalk is not there. The reason is very well known. I am not here today to cast blame on individuals as to why we are not at...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Further and Higher Education (2 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: I thank the Minister for that. That is exactly the kind of clear sense and thinking I was hoping to get from this debate. I very much appreciate it. It is important that the Minister has outlined the concept of a stand-alone university. It is not legally possible, nor is it even part of the strategic vision of the people involved in DkIT. It is clear, in black and white, that they want...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: I was not going to talk about this publicly, but I recently had Covid. I would not advise anyone to catch it. It is not particularly enjoyable. However, I discovered from my experience the real benefits of antigen tests. In recent weeks I have talked to other people who have also had Covid, and this is only anecdotal evidence, but they spoke about the benefit of antigen tests to them....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: Today, I want to raise the issue of electric vehicles and the charging infrastructure around them. I did not realise until last week that without access to a private driveway, you cannot get an electric vehicle charging point. I raised this issue in committee yesterday. Thousands of people live in apartments and in terraced housing in respect of which parking is on-street and so it would...

Seanad: Human Rights in China: Motion (1 Dec 2021)

John McGahon: I thank the Senator.