I thank my constituency colleague for bringing up data centres and the State data centre. The programme for Government talks about expediting private wire legislation. As Deputy Ó Muirí just said with regard to the decarbonisation of data centres, as we are all aware, 21% of our electricity is being used by data centres. While other Deputies will attack data centres, there are 53,000 jobs indirectly or directly linke…
TDs / Barry Heneghan
Barry Heneghan
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
2,229
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
120,522
words spoken in the chamber
Across 483 contributions. Plus 42 contributions from the chair, not counted
368
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
366
topics asked about
Across 20 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 2,229 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 483 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 95 | 9 |
| March 2025 | 61 | 14 |
| April 2025 | 140 | 21 |
| May 2025 | 163 | 35 |
| June 2025 | 89 | 23 |
| July 2025 | 175 | 23 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 43 | 4 |
| October 2025 | 56 | 16 |
| November 2025 | 214 | 36 |
| December 2025 | 123 | 35 |
| January 2026 | 141 | 37 |
| February 2026 | 186 | 26 |
| March 2026 | 125 | 22 |
| April 2026 | 128 | 42 |
| May 2026 | 176 | 46 |
| June 2026 | 111 | 33 |
| July 2026 | 101 | 17 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 49 | 16 |
| October 2026 | 53 | 28 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 326 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 Bay North 29 November 2024 to now
- party Independent 29 November 2024 to now
I wish to address something to which reference has already been made, namely our climate targets. This is a matter I have already spoken about. We know it will be beneficial for the Government if we invest millions of euro in our ports and expand them. While there is going to be huge offshore renewable energy coming into the Port of Cork, the latter is not a viable location for brining in the big vessels necessary to…
It is deeply harrowing to witness the devastation unfolding in Gaza, as every Deputy has said. As we speak, infants are starving. Families are without clean water or basic medical supplies. According to the WHO, nine out of ten people in Gaza now face crisis-level hunger. I have heard Deputies across the Chamber refer to the Great Famine but it is actually the great genocide that our people faced when we had grass st…
I commend Deputies Connolly and O'Rourke on their amendments to the proposed legislation. Many younger Deputies, myself included, may not be too aware of the State's involvement in residential institutions, which finally closed in Ireland from the late 1980s up to the mid-1990s. I have watched recordings of Deputy Connolly in previous Dáileanna setting out, or painting a picture if you like, of the conditions that su…
What we are witnessing in Gaza is an humanitarian disaster. Thousands of people have been killed. Thousands more are missing under the debris and rubble and more than 1.5 million face starvation.
Entire neighbourhoods have been obliterated. Children are dying of hunger. Hospitals, schools and refugee camps have been bombed, and still the world hesitates.
I condemn the atrocities carried out by Hamas on 7 October. T…
Bhí an Teachta Healy-Rae ag caint faoi rud éigint atá thar a bheith fíor. An rud ná nach bhfuil gá ag an Aire ná ag an HSE. Nuair atáim ag cur ceisteanna parlaiminte isteach chuig an HSE nó NTA, tá sé soiléir go bhfuil rud éigint mícheart leis an system atá againn. Níl aon duine responsible. It is ridiculous. I do not understand how we have given the power to these senior civil servants and I wonder who is actually r…
Listen, I did not disturb you when you spoke so please be quiet. I will get a lot more done than any of you will. I want to highlight the unacceptable surge in waiting lists for autism assessments and broader failings in the assessment of need systems. The regional group negotiated pay parity for section 38 and section 39 workers and I am delighted to see it has been done, but let us be honest about what is happening…
124. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the supports his Department is providing to help farmers meet national and EU climate targets, particularly regarding emissions reduction, biodiversity enhancement and sustainable land use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25747/25]
What support is the Minister's Department providing to help farmers meet national and EU climate targets, especially in emissions reduction, biodiversity enhancement and sustainable land use? Will the Department focus in particular on nature-based solutions? I was very lucky to have worked on an integrated constructed wetland and I would love to hear the Department's opinion on the use of such wetlands as a tool not …
I am delighted to hear that the Minister is committed to our climate targets. I know he might be surprised to hear a north Dublin TD who cares about agriculture, but it is something I have studied in college. He has just mentioned the sustainability aspect. To what extent are the CAP payments now tied to the measurable climate targets and how is the Department ensuring these conditions drive genuine change?
Integrat…
I am delighted to hear that, and I thank the Minister for the engagement today. I wish him the best of luck. He has a great brief, and Ireland will definitely be defined and our Government will be defined by how we act in the next four or five years in this regard. I urge the Department to look at integrated constructed wetlands as a cost-effective solution. They store carbon, they boost biodiversity, this week being…
We all agree that Ireland urgently needs better infrastructure to meet its housing needs. The Minister has sat here listening to all of the Deputies say this with regard to water planning and grid capacity. The solution does not lie in trading blame. It lies in us all rolling up our sleeves and fixing what is broken, and what is easily fixable right in front of us. There are small legislative changes that would have …
97. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if he and his Department officials will visit a new clubhouse development (details supplied) to speak with the board. [22889/25]
I wish to raise an issue on which the Minister of State has engaged with me regarding Raheny Shamrocks Athletics Club and a development that the board of the club has been working really hard on. I welcome the fact the Minister of State has been speaking to the board. I ask him to comment on the fact that the northside needs more investment in this club and in running tracks across the board.
It is great to hear that the Minister of State will be coming to the club. Raheny Shamrock Athletic Club has a significant history of producing Olympians not just for the northside but for all of Ireland, such as Dick Hooper, Mick Clohisey and Sophie Becker as well as paralympians Orla Comerford and David McNally, and Brian Fay, who I went to school with. With over 850 members, the club still has a waiting list for j…
I welcome the fact that the Minister of State said that. Regarding the lack of running tracks and the number of Olympians, maybe northsiders are just better runners. I ask that the capital plan that, please God, will go to Raheny Shamrock Athletic Club not be a one-time investment. If Dublin City Council could do this, it could charge people, which would build revenue for the council. We would also prevent further us…
157. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the steps being taken to strengthen our cyberdefence capabilities in light of increasing global threats to digital infrastructure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18129/25]
Inniu ba mhaith liom caint faoi rud éigin atá i mbéal an phobail faoi láthair. What steps are being taken to strengthen Irish cyberdefence capabilities, especially in the environment we are in at present? Cyberattacks are no longer hypothetical. They are a real and growing threat to our economy, our national security and our democracy. The Tánaiste has spoken about this before but I want to know what steps have been …
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Tánaiste. Tá sé iontach le cloisteáil go bhfuil an obair sin á déanamh aige. It is great to see the Tánaiste is working collaboratively with the Defence Forces to establish this new unit but we need to see our Defence Forces equipped, trained and empowered to meet these real threats. I ask the Department to meet the universities, one of which, DCU, I just left. They are developing new courses…
I welcome the fact the Tánaiste will engage with the universities. As I have seen growing up and going through the education system, mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí. If we do not invest in education and universities and give them the option, they will go. As the Tánaiste mentioned, cyberdefence depends on highly skilled personnel. I welcome the fact the Tánaiste has mentioned this. I have many friends in the Defence Fo…
Aontaím go mór leis an rún seo. When we speak about education we do not just speak about education, buildings or the boards of management. We speak about values, choice and identity. I can understand a lot of the stuff behind the motion. I agree with the spirit of the motion but I also signed up to support the programme for Government. I did not do so blindly and uncritically. I had a good look at the programme for G…
Since taking up employment, my parliamentary assistant, who has a disability, has had his travel allowance and disability allowance removed. There are key steps in the programme for Government. Will this Government provide for a universal, non-means-tested payment in respect of disability allowance? We all know the cost of disability. There are huge costs to people with a disability. We need there to be a universal, …
I thank every Member for everything they have said about this. I do not want to repeat what we know is wrong. The real question is what we are going to do to make sure it never happens again. This case really exposed more than individual failure. It exposed the culture of silence and of institutions more focused on protecting systems than protecting people. When the person who is failed is someone with intellectual d…
Apologies for that. It is just to give attention to the case. I did not give the full date of birth.
12. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide an update on the process being put in place to fulfil the programme for Government commitment to "Examine ways to facilitate people who are on work permits to move jobs more easily and legally, while protecting the integrity of the immigration system"; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21619/25]