Clearance.
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
It is depending on the tree.
With respect, it is six months after the storm and we are still at survey stage.
In many cases what we need is action. I recently had contact from a family who experienced a power outage. They live at the end of a forest. They are living in fear of the next storm. They know that should a storm hit, they will certainly experience a power outage. This is the type of work we need to get down to business on. I appreciate the survey is being undertaken but we are now in the summer and in many cases th…
We have a teacher shortage that is worsening year on year. Principals are finding it increasingly difficult to fill teaching posts. We also have a lack of places for children with disabilities. Meanwhile, there are thousands of Irish teachers teaching in the UAE, Australia and other parts of the world. Many left during the crash in search of employment. Many of them want to come home, but there is a barrier and disin…
195. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the reason he will not implement the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018, in light of his comments that Israel is committing war crimes over the blockading of aid in Gaza. [24169/25]
The entire scandal with regard to CHI has been shambolic from the outset. We have more than 200 children waiting for spinal surgery. There are children waiting for scoliosis surgery who are in pain. Meanwhile, very young children had surgery needlessly. This is the legacy. We have children the State has failed to treat and failed in terms of their treatment. What happened is absolutely shocking. What we have learned …
6. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of applicants from Mayo who had their SUSI application refused in the 2024 academic year. [25803/25]
11. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of SUSI applicants from Mayo who had their SUSI revoked in the middle of the academic year. [25802/25]
33. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of applicants from Mayo who had their SUSI application approved in the 2024 academic year. [25804/25]
I thank the Minister and Minister of State for attending to discuss these important matters. The questions concern SUSI applications for County Mayo, in particular the number and the percentage of the refusal rate, the revoked applications and the successful applications, and how this compares with the national situation.
I would like to raise some concerns, in particular regarding the revoked applications. In some instances, the money is never actually seen by the applicant and is directly linked to the university. I am aware of one case where the university failed to notify SUSI that the student had left the course and, as a result, the student was penalised the following year – essentially, the student was abandoned in that situati…
I welcome the Minister's assistance on those cases. As the Minister quite rightly pointed out, people who make second-chance applications and move courses should be supported in a bigger way than is currently the case. The extension of the timeline should be looked at and the acceleration of more online courses, which will reduce the cost to the person, would be of assistance as well.
I also want to raise another ca…
75. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the total amount paid out in CLÁR funding in each of the past five years, by county; the county that received the lowest amount, and which received the highest; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25736/25]
I thank the Minister very much for engaging on this important topic. I ask him to provide a breakdown over the past five years on CLÁR funding per county. How does our county, Mayo, compare?
I look forward to reviewing the breakdown. The Tánaiste stated this morning that the Government has failed and is failing children with disabilities. I propose that funding for playgrounds would require them to have an inclusive element. The State is failing children with disabilities. There is a significant lack of services for children - a lack of space in schools, a lack of CDNTs and significant delays with assess…
I too commend Mayo County Council on the great work it is doing. I also commend Manulla FC for its leading work on supporting children and families with disabilities.
I also wish to raise Ballyhaunis. The purpose of CLÁR is to support rural towns. In recent years, Ballyhaunis has lost three of its banks and the credit union is now reducing its hours. The lack of financial institutions in the town has resulted in a l…
I want to raise a very important issue on HHC, a semisynthetic cannabinoid. It is being sold legally in the State. It is being purchased and consumed by teenagers. Recently in my constituency of Mayo I heard of a harrowing case of a young teenager who consumed the drug not realising how dangerous it was because it was so freely and readily available. It ruined his life. He had to withdraw from school to try to get hi…
We also need to ensure that companies can no longer target children with vape shops and lovely beautiful colours-----
-----and beautiful scents and smells. It is absolutely wrong. We need cross-party support. We need to address this.
There are children who are walking the streets and teenagers purchasing vapes and HHC.
It is a major issue and I hope the Tánaiste will address it and we will bring legislation-----
-----to ensure this is provided for.
I welcome the motion and thank my colleagues in Independent Ireland for bringing it forward, which we in Aontú are delighted to support. I am happy to hear that the Government will not be opposing it. Every day in Ireland, carers, both paid and unpaid, provide tremendous service to their families, their communities and the State. The value they provide, both socially and economically, is significantly undervalued by …
I raise with the Taoiseach a reply to a parliamentary question I received from the Minister for Health. In the last year and a half, since January 2024, just five paramedics and 12 emergency medical technicians, EMTs, have been hired by the National Ambulance Service. This is despite the fact that a recent report states that there are 1,000 staff shortages. There is a major crisis in the National Ambulance Service. T…