In many ways, our words have lost meaning. The words we speak include "genocide". Genocide is ongoing right now in Gaza. The word "genocide" has almost lost its meaning because we have all watched it live-streamed on our phones and have seen thousands and thousands of people murdered by Israel, yet what has been done? The word "genocide" has lost meaning for the people of Gaza.
Our hearts are broken for the people o…
TDs / Rory Hearne
Rory Hearne
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
487
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
142,007
words spoken in the chamber
Across 575 contributions
398
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
112
topics asked about
Across 17 departments
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
What they ask about
The subject headings the Oireachtas filed their questions under.
Who they ask
The departments their questions were addressed to.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Questions asked 487 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 575 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 1 |
| January 2025 | 6 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 21 | 16 |
| March 2025 | 24 | 21 |
| April 2025 | 20 | 27 |
| May 2025 | 22 | 28 |
| June 2025 | 23 | 28 |
| July 2025 | 126 | 46 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 25 | 7 |
| October 2025 | 24 | 40 |
| November 2025 | 12 | 17 |
| December 2025 | 10 | 28 |
| January 2026 | 38 | 53 |
| February 2026 | 5 | 53 |
| March 2026 | 40 | 28 |
| April 2026 | 27 | 19 |
| May 2026 | 12 | 65 |
| June 2026 | 26 | 26 |
| July 2026 | 11 | 26 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 11 | 22 |
| October 2026 | 4 | 24 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 359 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Asked about similar topics
Worked out by computer from the subject headings of each TD's questions, giving more weight to headings few TDs use. It shows shared subjects, not shared views.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Dublin North-West 29 November 2024 to now
- party Social Democrats 29 November 2024 to now
I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this vital motion. It is unfortunate that the Government is opposing it. There are 5,014 children homeless in this country. When that number is thrown out, we often do not consider that each of those children is a child whose life is being damaged. It is equivalent to 220 primary school classes of children being homeless. Homelessness has doubled under this Government sin…
Ballymun, in my constituency, is a strong and proud community. As the Minister knows, having visited Ballymun recently, following decades of underinvestment by successive governments it is facing huge challenges ranging from poor housing to lack of economic opportunities. The community has been promised so much but is dealing with issues such as high poverty levels and a recent increase in drug-related and gang-relat…
I thank Sinn Féin for bringing the motion forward. It is absolutely essential that we keep the focus on the cost-of-living crisis. It is incredible, when we think about it, that we are calling it the cost-of-living crisis. It is too expensive to get the basic things that are required to live your life. It is truly shocking the extent to which profits are being made by companies, by grocery stores, by food outlets, by…
I wish to speak broadly about the issues concerning antisocial behaviour. I represent the communities of Finglas, Ballymun, Beaumont and Dublin North-West. The problems of antisocial behaviour are caused fundamentally by deep inequalities in our society, poverty, and the neglect of communities. There is a lack of investment in communities, youth services, drug services, community employment and public safety. Communi…
They are already going through the roof.
It is more than supply.
As we start a new term in the Dáil, it is utterly scandalous that there are children all over this country who do not have an appropriate school place. The Government says that it has offered places and, as my colleague said, that only a small number have not been offered places. However, the reality of the places that parents are being offered and that children are being sent to is that some of them do not exist bec…
Being honest with the people of Ireland?
I thank Deputy Stanley for tabling this motion on what is a very important issue. The public dental care service has declined significantly in recent decades. It is incredible how the idea of access to dental care is considered a luxury rather than a public service that should be universally available on the basis of need. It should not be about whether people can afford to pay. It is an incredible indictment of how …
Shoeboxes.
Where is the occupied territories Bill then?
It contributes to it.
I have been deeply shocked by these regulations and these new standards the Minister is introducing. As an academic, I did research for years. One of the starting points of research, of course, is gathering evidence. Policy is supposed to be evidence-based. The evidence that has been presented to justify these decisions does not stack up. The Government has claimed it will lead to savings of €50,000 to €100,000 per u…
Grand. That is all right.
Mr. Lawlor continued: "We welcome meaningful, evidence-based reforms that support the accelerated, coordinated, and sustainable delivery of apartments and homes in communities across the country."
The institute goes on to say:
In particular, the erosion of unit mix requirements represents a market-led approach to housing that is fundamentally at odds with the significant work undertaken by the Department of Housing…
I appreciate the Minster's detailed response. He did not answer my questions on the consultation with the institute of planners, the architects or the Irish Wheelchair Association. It is deeply regrettable that they clearly were not consulted and there was not proper engagement with them. If there had been there would be a different outcome to this, so it is deeply regrettable.
The Minister referenced people buying …
Ah, come on.
The Government's last action before the Dáil rises for the summer is to cook the books on affordable housing delivery and ram through new legislation to reduce apartment standards that will mean generations of Irish people will be forced to pay €3,000 a month rent to investor funds to live in dark shoeboxes. Once again, the Government is sacrificing renters to investor funds and developers, who are clearly the ones m…
How can the Taoiseach ensure the cost savings will be passed on to homebuyers and renters and not just line the pockets of developers and investor funds?
They will.
But it is the developers that will come in and-----
The developers-----
Not shoeboxes.
That is not true.