I am asking for an update on the commitment in the programme for Government to examine ways to make it easier and more transparent for people on work permits to change jobs legally. Last week, I visited the Migrant Rights Centre. I had a great discussion with it and met many people who had come to this country with the intention to work. There is a matter of basic fairness and of upholding our international reputatio…
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 welcome the fact there is movement on this, but at the heart of the issue is a simple question of fairness. Workers who come to Ireland on employment permits are legally present in the country, paying taxes and contributing to our essential sectors, such as those mentioned by the Minister of State, but once they arrive, they find themselves tied to a single employer under rigid rules that limit their ability to cha…
I welcome the fact the Minister of State is engaging with these industries and he should continue to do that. I would also like his Department to examine the fee migrant workers are paying. Off the top of my head, it costs €200 yearly. It is an unfair fee and should be reduced because these people are struggling. They are coming here to work. Workers should not have to choose between leaving a bad situation and riski…
Táim ag labhairt inniu ar son na dtuismitheoirí, na ndaltaí agus na múinteoirí i nGaelcholáiste Reachrann i nDomhnach Míde. Tá an scoil ag feidhmiú i bhfoirgnimh shealadacha le breis agus 20 bliain. Tá sé ráite go minic ag an Rialtas go bhfuil an tionscadal ag dul ar aghaidh ach níl sé.
I raise yet again a matter that is a key priority for me. I spoke about it during the negotiations to form the Government. Gaelchol…
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Tánaiste agus an Aire. Yet again - and I see why people get frustrated - the Tánaiste did not answer my question. Will the Tánaiste and the Minister commit to a visit to Gaelcholáiste Reachrann before the end of the school term? Will they commit to that? That is all I am asking for - a commitment. The school is waiting. I will drive them there; it is 25 minutes away.
It is very simple. The c…
There is a commitment, is there?
When I raised this through a parliamentary question on 10 April, I welcomed the Government's commitment to special needs assistant numbers with new posts by 2025 but good intentions are not enough. I asked the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, how the numbers were proposed to be distributed, and specifically for me how they would be allocated to schools in Dublin Bay North where families continue to face serious de…
The NPF is a critical tool in how we shape our housing infrastructure, services and communities. I welcome the revision placed before the House following public consultation and a comprehensive review. However, we need a plan that reflects the major changes our country has seen in recent years. Planning is not just about numbers and maps; it is about the kind of people and communities we build.
Too often, especially…
9. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [15512/25]
Right across Dublin Bay North and, indeed, the entire country, vacant and derelict buildings are sitting idle while people are crying out for housing. Hundreds of people email me weekly. They are dying to get into these houses on the same street they are in in north Dublin. Local authorities are struggling with enforcement. I urge that there be an investigation into Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council regar…
7. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his Department has carried out any cross-simulation or cost analysis of the fines Ireland may incur if it fails to meet its 2030 climate targets; his views on whether equivalent investment would be better directed towards domestic climate action measures rather than paying fines to the EU; and if he will make a statement on…
Go n-éirí leis an Aire ina phost nua. Has the Department carried out any cross-simulation or cost analysis of the potential fines that we are going to face if we do not reach our 2030 climate targets? Does the Minister agree that we should put the equivalent investment into our country rather than paying other EU countries, as a tap on the back, for the hard work they did? I want to know what the Department is doing …
In the context of the climate action that we need to take, there is really only one show in town for Ireland, and we all know that is our offshore renewable energy. While I welcome the fact that there has been a €90 million investment in Cork port, it is not enough. We need to be investing hundreds of millions of euro in our ports because we need to extend them out and widen them. Otherwise, the giant vessels that ar…
I welcome the fact the Minister has been engaging with me on private wires legislation and I know he has a huge job ahead of him. I wish him the best of luck in his phost nua.
The Government is currently paying for research, funded by Research Ireland and conducted by Dr. James Carton, my previous professor in sustainability engineering at DCU, and his colleagues at UCD. What they are telling us is that we now need …
I thank Uisce Éireann for coming in to meet me recently. It was a very good and informative meeting. I understand that it plays a critical role in managing one of the most essential services that we all rely on every day. Uisce Éireann had a huge portfolio when it began ten years ago, including the treatment of infrastructure and environmental standards. It is really doing its best. However, since being elected to th…
Le tús a chur, tá mé chun rud éigint a chur amach faoi Ghaelcholáiste Reachrann. It is still waiting for an update. The Department was saying that the design team is looking at it and it is a priority for the Department. I am in a group chat with 450 concerned parents. All we are asking for is a written update on the current status of the permanent school and an urgent update on what is holding it back. I would also …
I strongly condemn the decision by President Trump to impose 20% tariffs on EU exports, especially those that affect Ireland. Let us be clear here: this is not a negotiating tactic but an act of economic aggression by President Trump against our long-standing relationship. Let us call it what it is; it is reckless and short-sighted and will be deeply harmful to Irish jobs and businesses and the broader European econo…
When we talk about crime and antisocial behaviour among young people, we often focus on the consequences but we need to ask what is causing it in the first place. It reminds me of a story I heard at an event by Peter McVerry. It is a story I come back to which goes, if you see people floating down a river, you jump in and rescue them. Then you see another person floating down, and you jump in and rescue them. Then yo…
It is great to see a united party effort on this issue. We all attended the information evening in Belmayne. It is very clear we need another special school in Dublin Bay North. The issue is the option for phase 2 of the Belmayne Educate Together school has been offered by the school. It is clearly a better solution than putting these kids into prefabs. On the night we were all there, we heard parents who have childr…
I also thank the Minister of State for coming to the cross-party meeting on autism. When I raised this matter with him, he looked at it straight away. All the TDs in Dublin Bay North have raised this matter because they have been fighting for it since before I was elected. There is a prefab pandemic in Dublin Bay North, as those involved with running Gaelchólaiste Reachrann have noted. People have seen how it is neve…
Deputy O' Flynn said there are no Government TDs here. Have you not been calling me a Government TD for the last three months? It is ridiculous. I do not have sympathy-----
I am here now. I do not have sympathy-----
The Minister has a huge task ahead of him and I wish him the best of luck in his role. I urge everyone from all sides of this House to work together as we see in the committees. We are here for one reason, which is to work for the Irish people. As a newly elected TD, it is ridiculous what have seen in here for the last few months.
There is something clearly wrong with regulations where developers can pay adjoining r…
135. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline Ireland’s response to Israel breaking the ceasefire and launching new phase of aggression against innocent civilians living in Gaza and in southern Lebanon. [15540/25]
I raise an issue I raised with the Taoiseach three weeks ago and that was also raised this evening by Deputy Carthy. I am seeking clarification on the occupied territories Bill, the reinstatement of which was included in the programme for Government. In a meeting with the Palestinian ambassador, she asked whether the Bill, when it is reintroduced, will include provisions regarding natural resources. I accept that the…