There is also housing policy. That is an expertise.
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
That is part of housing.
Yes, it does. Housing policy is-----
The Taoiseach is making derogatory comments.
There are a couple of things I want to raise in this very important debate. We know we have a housing crisis and a housing emergency. The first one is the issue of responsibility and accountability. We have a fundamental problem here in that water is clearly on the Department of housing's website as one of its core five competencies, along with planning, housing, heritage and local government.
Irish Water is a State…
Young people are despairing. They are giving up hope that this country will ever provide them with the fundamental need and human right of a home. The people we need - nurses, teachers, doctors, tradespeople and therapists - have emigrated because of the lack of affordable housing. At a housing summit yesterday, Sherry FitzGerald said it is likely that just 25,000 homes will be built this year. That is only half of t…
It keeps people in their homes.
We are only highlighting the baseless election claims on it.
What is very clear is that Trump does not care about working people in the US. He does not care about working people in Europe or anywhere. What he is doing to the world economy and the US economy is sending it into freefall. As my colleague said, Trump's new world order will require a shift in our economy and our economic model. This will result in a shift globally. The question is how do we respond. How can we sust…
You would want to have a heart of stone not to be moved by the parents of children with additional needs who spoke to us last week. They broke down telling their stories of the failure of the State to provide them with appropriate school places and services. I am supporting parents in my constituency whose children are locked out of education. In area CHO 9 more than 3,000 children are waiting for an initial contact …
The Minister's responses to Sinn Féin on bringing forward this motion were a bit glib and petty. I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward the motion. It is important that we are very clear on the issue. I am disappointed to hear the Government is not supporting the motion. It is understandable that people are extremely concerned about the potential return of water charges. I remember the massive devastation that happen…
The housing crisis situation is an emergency and I ask the Minister to take this motion on board. I thank its proposers for tabling it. There are many ideas in it that we in the Social Democrats have put forward.
It was ten years ago, when I was involved with trade union groups and housing campaigns, that we called on Fine Gael, which was in government at the time, to declare the housing crisis an emergency. Every y…
It is very clear that this Government is taking us away from the cherished neutrality we have had as a country and as a republic. Our neutrality is something that is core to what it means to be Irish today. It is not a passive thing but something that needs to be chosen and protected. What the Government is doing is shattering that neutrality. Arguably, it is making this decision without a proper discussion of its si…
There is nothing stopping the Minister of State sharing the time with them.
Figures for house prices came out yesterday. We are now seeing astronomical house prices and the highest rate of increase in inflation for eight years. The median price of a home is now €420,000. What nurse, garda or bus driver can afford these house prices? What is the Government doing by way of an emergency reaction to the housing crisis, particularly in the area of affordable housing delivery? It has not met its o…
They say there are delays.
No, it is the institutional funds.
They did not vote for Michael Lowry.
We did not see Micheal Lowry in the manifesto.
Come on.
4. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to recent CSO data showing that the number of new homes approved annually fell by over 21% in 2024; his plans to introduce an alternative policy measure to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12895/25]
In terms of the planning applications, we have seen a significant fall in applications. The figures are down over 21% annually, and apartments even further. What are the Minister's plans to address this? In particular, does it not show that the Minister's housing policy and Housing for All as a policy has not worked, that new measures are required and, in fact, that the reliance on institutional investors to deliver …
I do not see the radical reset in the Minister's response that the Housing Commission called for and the Minister himself agreed was needed. We know the definition of insanity is continuing the same policy or same approach and expecting a different outcome.
On the question about the planning and apartments, there is over-reliance on institutional investors. Institutional investors invest on the basis of their profit…
The Minister is repeating the same tropes that the Taoiseach repeats that we have had no alternatives. If the Minister looked at our election manifesto, he is correct that we talked about using private investment but it is the particular type of private investment. The Taoiseach is also spinning this by saying we are against private investment. We are not against private investment in housing. What we are against is …
18. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to reverse the decision to restrict eligibility and funding for the tenant in situ scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12897/25]