We have seen horrific scenes of the destruction of people in Palestine. It is difficult to pick any single moment but I was struck by a Palestinian paediatrician, Alaa al-Najjar, who fell to her knees with the pain and devastation of witnessing her own children arriving into her emergency department. Her nine children were killed by an Israeli airstrike. They were between the ages of two and 12. To think of such youn…
TDs / Paul Lawless
Paul Lawless
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
1,995
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
94,569
words spoken in the chamber
Across 496 contributions
391
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
300
topics asked about
Across 19 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 1,995 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 496 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 34 | 1 |
| February 2025 | 27 | 26 |
| March 2025 | 32 | 18 |
| April 2025 | 59 | 23 |
| May 2025 | 104 | 49 |
| June 2025 | 49 | 28 |
| July 2025 | 63 | 30 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 97 | 24 |
| October 2025 | 43 | 26 |
| November 2025 | 136 | 44 |
| December 2025 | 119 | 25 |
| January 2026 | 151 | 28 |
| February 2026 | 141 | 32 |
| March 2026 | 162 | 10 |
| April 2026 | 181 | 34 |
| May 2026 | 214 | 18 |
| June 2026 | 139 | 20 |
| July 2026 | 56 | 15 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 1 |
| September 2026 | 115 | 21 |
| October 2026 | 73 | 23 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 278 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 Mayo 29 November 2024 to now
- party Aontú 29 November 2024 to now
Last week, An Bord Pleanála overturned a decision by Mayo County Council to grant permission for 92 homes in Ballina, north Mayo. An Bord Pleanála overturned the decision and rejected this development. The site was dezoned in recent years. It is located just 2 km from the town centre and has all the necessary services, including water, wastewater, telecommunications, footpaths, etc. There is a huge demand for housing…
I could not watch the level of abuse in the "RTÉ Investigates" documentary. I could not stomach the way elderly people were treated and abused. What we saw was a complete disregard for human life and human rights and it was very focused on economic profits in this regard. Profit does seem to have been the motivating factor in some of the abuses. This is clearly concerning, particularly in light of the fact that the G…
I rise today to speak for a mother, Michelle O'Toole, who spent thousands not on luxury, but on love. Her daughter Katie was faced with a harrowing surgery abroad where a full removal of the pancreas, spleen and gall bladder had to take place in London because it was not available in Ireland. Katie was ultimately forced abroad, and Michelle's only thought was to be by her side at this very difficult time. However, no…
I very much welcome the endometriosis clinical guidelines that were published recently. This is a very positive step forward for the thousands of women who suffer with this condition. One in ten women in Ireland is believed to suffer from it. Many of them suffer in silence. The guidelines specifically state that the clinical guidelines should be used in conjunction with the national framework. However, the national f…
What incentives can be provided to GPs to engage with this process?
The framework.
I welcome the Minister to this debate on housing. He says he wants to deliver more private homes across the country. I agree that we need those houses, but there is another way. He has completely sacrificed renters in order to unlock this, but there is another way. I know people of my age across Mayo - people I play football with - who have planning permission and who were given prices by their builders, but they are…
76. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps she is taking to ensure that children with disabilities receive early intervention and treatment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32482/25]
Early intervention is critical. I want to ask about CDNT vacancies. What is the number of vacancies? What is the percentage of vacant posts throughout the CDNT network? What are the long-term and short-term strategies to address recruitment issues?
How many vacancies do we have in the CDNTs? What is the number? What is the percentage? What are the strategies on this? The Minister of State alluded earlier to the strategy being recruitment in secondary schools. Am I right in saying this? Are we to believe the crisis will not be solved for a number of years? What are we doing to entice the wonderful graduates in this field who are now in Australia, Canada and the …
I have to say if I were a parent listening to this I would be incredibly frustrated. The Minister of State has, perhaps, a mid- to long-term plan but very little to alleviate the crisis today. There is a window of opportunity. These children will miss their targets. They will be significantly disadvantaged. For some it will mean the difference between being able to live independently or not. We have many wonderful pr…
This is the type of proactive solution and policy I want the Minister of State to address. These are wonderful Irish graduates-----
-----some of whom graduated with their basic degree in Ireland. They went away for doctoral training.
The HSE is not welcoming them home. Meanwhile we have a crisis today.
Will the Minister engage with me on this?
I very much welcome the childcare supports and subsidies. It is critically important that we reduce the cost.
I also want to raise with the Minister a poll by Amárach Research in 2024, which found that 69% of mothers with children under the age of 18 would prefer to stay at home if they could afford it. In addition, 76% of mothers felt that their work in the home is undervalued compared to work in society. We know t…
What about the broader point of childcare? Are there any additional supports for those mothers?
23. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will address the impact of staffing shortages in the air traffic control unit at Baldonnel, which have resulted in the scaling back of operations to five-day coverage; if he is concerned that this reduction limits support to the Irish Coast Guard and restricts the ability to respond to crime, search and rescue, or emergency events outside of of…
I welcome the very positive news that Ireland will become an associate member of CERN. Ireland has a rich history in research and scientific innovation. Indeed, the Nobel science laureate, Ernest Walton, who was the first person to split the atom, should be recognised here today. Membership will open doors for Irish researchers to take part in CERN scientific programmes and make Irish citizens eligible for staff posi…
25. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Taoiseach if he will provide details of the new projects that will be delivered under the shared island scheme in the next five years. [25742/25]
I move amendment No. 1 to amendment No. 1:
To Insert the following after "rolling planned maintenance will support this":
"commits to:
— reducing the turnaround time for vacated local authority homes to new tenants from the current average of eight months, to a two month average turnaround time; and
— ensuring that local authorities be permitted to apply to the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant for the purpose …
100. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he is satisfied with the current resilience of the ESB network in light of the damage caused by Storm Éowyn; the measures that have been taken in the five months since that storm to identify and develop dedicated corridors or pathways to protect electricity infrastructure; if he will provide an update on the measures taken, particu…
I ask the Minister about Storm Éowyn and the preparations that I hope are under way to make the grid more resilient. I am sure the Minister is well aware of the difficulties, as is the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, in my constituency, which experienced huge fallout from the storm. Many houses have only recovered connectivity and landline communications in recent weeks. What steps are being taken to address and im…
This Government, in fairness, is great at documents and plans but very poor on delivery. The Minister spent most of his time acknowledging the work of the ESB, which has done tremendous work, but I want to know how many meters have been cleared. For example, there are thousands of kilometres of ESB lines where trees are growing up through those lines. There are guidelines that state the lines should be 10 m minimum a…