It is clear there is a lot of work to be done to have proper youth services in place across the entire State. The Children Act states that a juvenile should not be in the criminal justice system, and only as a last resort or for a very serious crime. That is absolutely appropriate but the big issue in my experience has been resourcing. That comes into everything. We can have all the perfect plans in the world and all…
TDs / Martin Kenny
Martin Kenny
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
446
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
90,042
words spoken in the chamber
Across 358 contributions. Plus 23 contributions from the chair, not counted
389
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
103
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 446 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 358 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 11 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 8 | 11 |
| March 2025 | 35 | 18 |
| April 2025 | 23 | 20 |
| May 2025 | 42 | 34 |
| June 2025 | 14 | 7 |
| July 2025 | 19 | 14 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 26 | 5 |
| October 2025 | 13 | 27 |
| November 2025 | 20 | 24 |
| December 2025 | 19 | 7 |
| January 2026 | 29 | 29 |
| February 2026 | 22 | 51 |
| March 2026 | 39 | 21 |
| April 2026 | 23 | 13 |
| May 2026 | 25 | 27 |
| June 2026 | 34 | 13 |
| July 2026 | 9 | 19 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 24 | 5 |
| October 2026 | 11 | 13 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 179 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 Sligo-Leitrim 29 November 2024 to now
- party Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
I commend the many thousands of people around the country who put their shoulder to the wheel throughout the storm, including those in voluntary groups and agencies across the State who came out, the ESB workers and county council workers who worked day and night to get things moving again and the ordinary people and farmers who went out to cut bushes along the roads and took trees off the roads with their tractors t…
We want answers.
We do.
He has had four chances and he still has not answered the question.
Time is definitely up.
The situation in Gaza is at the forefront of everyone’s mind today and in recent days. We have seen the mass bombing of thousands of people who are living in rubble as it stands. The attitude of the Israeli Government and its efforts to wipe out the Palestinian people is something the whole world is rightly aghast at. I recognise that Ireland has been to the forefront in recognising the State of Palestine and other m…
The Bill has to be enforceable, yes, but it must clearly demonstrate the Government's and the world's absolute outrage at what is happening in Gaza and in the occupied territories across Palestine.
Turning to other issues, the tariffs being brought in by the United States were to be on steel and aluminium first. Then the European Union talked about tariffs on whisky coming from America, then they retorted with tarif…
I am sure the Minister of State will have an opportunity to come back in at the end. We have to recognise that this would be detrimental to the livelihoods of Irish farmers. In that context, we must be very strong and definite in respect of what we are doing around all of that.
Going back to issues of international security and cybersecurity, from time to time a red flag jumps up when there has been an attack somewh…
I wish the Minister well in his post . I commend my colleagues on bringing forward this motion. The tenant in situ scheme, as many have said, worked very well for many people who were under serious pressure. Since last summer, however, we have seen decline. Now, it has ground to a halt. Many people in my constituency have been affected. I am aware of the case of a young woman who has four children. She is a nurse. Du…
87. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Health if a mental health information database CAMHS consultant has been recruited to the children's disability network team for Sligo, Leitrim, south Donegal and west Cavan; if there are adequate supports for this role; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9505/25]
I submitted a question on the issue of the MHID CAMHS consultant, but it was wrongly interpreted as referring to a "mental health information database" consultant rather than a "mental health intellectual disability" consultant. The intellectual disability service is required. We raised the issue in the Chamber several times of a child called Maggie in Drumshanbo, County Leitrim, who was referred to the intellectual …
It is Question No. 87.
The CAMHS issue is an issue across the country. The Minister of State mentioned that it is one of her priorities. I will provide a second example in respect of CAMHS. A family's GP sent a letter to CAMHS to refer a child who needed to get into CAMHS. They received correspondence stating that there was no clinical lead for the CAMHS post in CHO 1, which covers Leitrim, east Sligo and west Cavan. The GP received a lett…
No.
I will get the letter for the Minister of State.
I will come back to the Minister of State with the specifics in respect of the case but the truth is that there are thousands of children across the country who cannot get access to CAMHS. I appreciate that there are more people being recruited but it does not meet the demand or come anywhere near meeting the demand. In team one in the Sligo, Leitrim region, the CAMHS team has no clinical lead. Having no clinical lea…
The reality is that it is without support.
I want to raise the issue of the storms six weeks ago. Most people in my part of the country were without power for some time, some for a long time, and dozens of people still have no phone line, in particular elderly people living in rural areas. Dorothy, who is in her 80s and living in north Leitrim, has no phone line and had no electricity for three weeks. She has a panic button in case she falls or anything happe…
I understand that.
I welcome the debate and wish both Ministers all the best in their new portfolios. However, one of the things that is very difficult to listen to from both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael is that they are the parties for homeownership. It is striking because since Fine Gael came into government almost 14 years ago, and was supported by Fianna Fáil over the past number of years, in every subsequent census homeownership in I…
When I held the transport portfolio, which is about a year and a half ago now, the Minister's predecessor, Deputy Jack Chambers, told me this was all being solved, sorted out and going in the right direction. I remember him standing here and telling us that more driving test instructors were being recruited, more testing centres would be opened and everything was in hand and would be sorted out. The truth is that we …
These are the issues we need to deal with. They need to be treated with a sense of urgency, rather than continually passing the buck. We are asking for the implementation of a strategic plan to achieve the magic ten-week target for the waiting list. That is what needs to happen. I recognise that the Government is not going to oppose the motion but that is not enough. The Minister needs to act on it and deliver ten-we…
Many congratulations to the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on his position. I welcome the new Minister to his role also. I worked with the Minister, Deputy Heydon, in the previous Government and I hope to have a good and productive relationship with him in this one, and indeed with the Minister of State, Deputy Grealish. Much of what the Minister has said I cannot disagree with. We have a vibrant economic model in our farming…
I congratulate the Minister of State on her new role. The opportunity to speak about artificial intelligence is apt at this point in time. At no age in our society has technology had a bigger role, particularly considering social media and the impact that has had on so many people across the globe, particularly across Ireland. It is clear that there is significant power in all of that. The previous speaker spoke of t…