Results 101-120 of 969 for speaker:John McGahon

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Hospital Overcrowding (26 Oct 2023)

John McGahon: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, for atour de forceon four Commencement matters this morning. It is really appreciated. I welcome the Austrian ambassador to Ireland, H. E., Thomas Nader, and his colleague. I thank them so much for being here. It is a great privilege to them in Seanad Éireann today and I thank them for their presence.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Oct 2023)

John McGahon: Last night, I spoke to Bernie Quinn from Dundalk. She has done tremendous work with Dundalk Outcomers over the past three decades in County Louth. Dundalk Outcomers provides a service that stretches from Skerries right up into County Monaghan and throughout all of County Meath. It is a very serious issue that funding for an outreach officer was not approved by the Department of Children,...

Seanad: Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Cap on Market Revenues) Bill 2023: Second Stage (26 Oct 2023)

John McGahon: I will be brief because this is a straightforward Bill initiated by the European Union. The Russian invasion of Ukraine was where the issue with electricity prices started. In the early days of 2022, we did not know how long the war in Ukraine or the fluctuation in energy prices was going to last. What was clear within the first six months of the war was the huge profits that energy...

Seanad: Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Cap on Market Revenues) Bill 2023: Second Stage (26 Oct 2023)

John McGahon: Next Tuesday.

Seanad: Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Cap on Market Revenues) Bill 2023: Second Stage (26 Oct 2023)

John McGahon: At 1 p.m. on Tuesday, 7 November 2023.

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

John McGahon: Like Senator Blaney and others, I met Lord Caine as a member of the Good Friday committee and a member of the British-Irish friendship group recently. When we were downstairs, beneath this Chamber, speaking to Lord Caine, 95% of the discussion was about the legacy Act - rightly so - and how horrific we as Irish parliamentarians find it to be. I pointed out to him that I was sitting at one...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (24 Oct 2023)

John McGahon: I call for a debate on large-scale sports facilities similar to the one that took place in Dáil Éireann last week. A debate in this House with the Minister would be very welcome. Dundalk is the biggest town in Ireland, with one of the most successful football teams in the country and, in the case of Dundalk Football Club, a long and proud footballing tradition.Its stadium at Oriel...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Oct 2023)

John McGahon: I want to move on to another equally serious issue, namely, that of missing people in Ireland. As many people in this House will know, I am holding a meeting with the families of missing people today in the audiovisual room at 1 p.m. I would appreciate it if as many as possible could come along. According to the Department of Justice, as of July of this year there are 840 missing people in...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Oct 2023)

John McGahon: Today's debate has focused on the budget. I will follow on from a lot of the points made by Senator Ahearn. My points are on the basis of my visit this morning to the Dundalk Chamber of Commerce business breakfast. It is a successful event held on the morning after every budget. More than 250 people attended today from a whole variety of businesses in Dundalk to hear a presentation on the...

Seanad: Budget 2024 (Finance): Statements (10 Oct 2023)

John McGahon: I am the last Senator to speak on this debate, which has been going on for an hour and a half. I have to start by commending Senators Warfield, Keoghan and Craughwell. Out of 19 Opposition Senators, three turned up. If this budget was as bad as Senator Warfield would have us believe, I guarantee all 18 Opposition Senators would be in here shouting and screaming for their two-minute social...

Seanad: Budget 2024 (Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform): Statements (10 Oct 2023)

John McGahon: When is it proposed to sit again?

Seanad: Visit of Slovak Delegation (4 Oct 2023)

John McGahon: What I want to discuss today may be more appropriate for a Commencement debate, but I will have to submit that request after the budget is finished. It concerns a tax scheme for shared mobility, based on what is used in France. How it works, essentially, is that employees are able to choose from a list of approved shared mobility schemes, whether it is cargo bikes, bikes, taxis, buses or...

Seanad: Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023: Second Stage (4 Oct 2023)

John McGahon: Before I call Senator Gavan, I welcome Commandant Leo Quinlan to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. As we all know, he is the son of Commandant Pat Quinlan, who was the commanding officer at the battle of Jadotville in 1961 when 155 Irish soldiers repelled a force of 3,000 enemy soldiers over five days, with all 155 Irish soldiers coming home alive, which was an outstanding achievement....

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

John McGahon: As we will all be aware, we are having many meetings at the 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...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Sep 2023)

John McGahon: I was just speaking to my colleague, Senator Gallagher, about this issue. It is one of which Border politicians will be very much aware. People coming from a Border area who are involved in business have always had to deal with price discrepancies on either side of the Border. Entrepreneurs in businesses on both sides of the Border have always had to have a certain level of ingenuity to...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 Jul 2023)

John McGahon: A number of weeks ago, I raised the issue of train delays, particularly on the Enterprise service between Dundalk and Belfast where there were 21 individual delays over a 13-day period. I did some research about what happens on the Continent and discovered that the Danish system is really effective in the context of train delays, travel guarantees and the money given back to customers. In...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Medical Aids and Appliances (29 Jun 2023)

John McGahon: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I have raised this issue previously in Commencement debates over the years and I am taking this opportunity to do so again. Diabetes patients can only access FreeStyle Libre if they are under 18 years of age, rather than on the basis of clinical need. This product is widely available for those with diabetes up to the age of 18. Once...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Medical Aids and Appliances (29 Jun 2023)

John McGahon: I thank the Minister of State for that. The crux of this issue is choice. As I said, it is really about having the right technology for the right person at the right time on that person's medical journey when it comes to diabetes. The concept of basing decisions on age criteria rather than clinical need is certainly an issue. I welcome the report that is going to come from the HSE in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Divergence of Rights and Best Practice on the Island of Ireland: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)

John McGahon: Following up on that point, some of our Oireachtas committees, as where the Chair mentioned the Committee on Justice, for example, have sub-committees set up under them. Within the Committee on Health now, there are sub-committees on autism and mental health, for example. I like the concept of it. It would make sense where a committee would be able to look at human rights across all...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Divergence of Rights and Best Practice on the Island of Ireland: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)

John McGahon: This is the real tragedy behind everything with the Assembly not being up and running, not even in the recent impasse, but even over the past ten or 15 years where basic legislation that makes everybody’s lives that bit easier, that is not controversial, that is the right thing to do and that no one of any political persuasion could either agree or disagree with is just being left high...