I want to raise the case of a children's online safety company whose management is accused of defrauding at least 15 victims, across seven different countries, of more than €500,000. This is an Irish company and is based in Limerick. My constituent Aisling Waldron, a dedicated advocate of child safety, was hired to oversee child safety. She is owed over €72,000 in unpaid wages. She was recruited on the back of fabric…
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
I am glad of the opportunity to speak on the issue of Irish unity. Aontú is one of the few parties in this House that is active North and South and that stands candidates in elections in every county. At this time, the poll figures indicate that we are moving in the right direction. Even our opponents on this issue are almost accepting the inevitability of a united Ireland. I feel an enormous privilege and responsibi…
We are in a cost-of-living crisis. Groceries are up by 40% and diesel is up by 60% over the past five years, yet another bill is landing every August for families who send their children to school. That bill is an ICT bill. It is a bill for a laptop. Incredibly, the Government introduced free books last year but has this year introduced what is effectively mandatory ICT at a cost that is significantly higher than the…
I commend Margaret Loftus from my own constituency of Mayo for her work in raising awareness of domestic abuse. I also commend the report recently published by the justice committee. Ms Loftus has raised many concerns. The in camera rule is one of them. She told the committee that the in camera rule prevented a lot of information from coming out. It is essentially a veil of secrecy. It needs to be looked at and revie…
I thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this very important motion, which Aontú will support. According to the Disability Federation of Ireland, there are between 5,000 and 6,000 households with a social housing need due to disability and a total of 10% of everyone on the waiting list are people with disabilities.
I want to raise an important issue in my constituency. A senior citizen who has been caring f…
I want to be clear from the outset that I support the right of Ukraine and Moldova to develop, prosper and integrate, but I have serious concerns about this Government's Presidency. The Taoiseach is on record as stating that Ukraine belongs in the EU. As we take up the Presidency, it is the Government's stated ambition to make historic progress on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova.
I condemn Russia's actions in r…
The post office service is really important and I welcome support for post offices across the country. It is particularly important for senior citizens in rural areas. In many rural areas the banks are closing and withdrawing services and face-to-face services. That is why it is particularly worrying that so many post offices are closing.
In the past ten years, 19 post offices have closed in County Mayo. Let us look…
I know of a family in Mayo. The mother attended the local primary school in the parish. Her father attended the same local primary school. Her children are now attending the same local school. She sought planning permission to build in the catchment area of that primary school. She was denied on the basis of local planning need. Three generations living in the same area and she was refused planning permission.
That …
I thank my colleagues in Aontú for their work on this motion and thank the Deputies for their contributions today. The fact is that the point raised by the Minister of State a few moments ago is actually untrue. This Government has a policy of increasing the number of data centres. For every new wind or solar development the vast majority of that additional capacity is going to data centres.
Let us not mislead the House here. It is important that we say that from the outset. The truth is that Ireland is an outlier in terms of the cost of living in the country at the moment. We are the most expensive country in Europe for housing, health, energy and alcohol. Is the Minister of State going to blame the Opposition for the disasters of health and the cost of housing? The Government has presided over this. It…
19. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [49357/26]
The Taoiseach was in Mayo recently and I hope he enjoyed his trip. There are major issues with the hospital, however. Recently a young man was waiting three days for emergency surgery following breaking his leg. This was a result of a lack of staff. The theatre was ready, as was the consultant. Everything was ready but the nursing staff to facilitate the surgery. This is causing major difficulty. It is happening as a…
32. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump. [49356/26]
The July provision summer programme exists for the most vulnerable children in this country. This year the government has made a complete shambles of it. First, the Government opened and closed the application window before many schools and families even knew it was open. Second, the Government significantly cut some of the teachers and SNAs allocated to schools. Third, effectively the late allocations arriving at th…
The application window opened and closed.
What about the late applications?
Knock Airport has been one of modern Ireland's biggest success stories. Monsignor Horan built Knock Airport on a hill. Everyone said it could not be done. When the Government cut funding, he went to America and Australia and raised the shortfall himself. Over the past 40 years, Knock Airport has been a lifeline. It has helped hundreds of thousands of families see their loved ones. It has been so important to Mayo and…
Families are contacting me regularly about dental care. The level of frustration and desperation is shocking. The truth is that in many parts of the country people cannot access their dentist. In parts of the country people with a medical card will not find a dentist. That is how bad the dental service scheme is.
In relation to the school screening programme, according to the Government, every child is entitled to s…
I want to speak on behalf of families and patients with Friedreich's ataxia and muscular dystrophy. I want to speak particularly for Eric Fitzgerald, a young man from Ballyhaunis, in County Mayo, who is losing power and muscle and whose lower limbs have weakened significantly. His condition is getting progressively worse. For Eric, the passage of time means the loss of muscle. It is extraordinarily sad. I met a group…
Rural Ireland is bearing the brunt of the country's energy policy and getting very little in return. In Mayo and right across the west of Ireland, planning applications for huge wind turbines are landing at massive rates. These structures are not small. Indeed, they are bigger than the Dublin Spire, Big Ben and the Statue of Liberty. Community consultation is simply inadequate. In some cases, it is not being done pro…
We have a big problem with gun crime in this country. It is important that we work collectively with other countries to stop that. Crime is causing enormous stress for rural communities, in towns and villages right across the country. It is important that we have a serious conversation about what happens to people when they are released from prison. Over the past five years, more than 3,500 persons have been released…
23. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the most recent EU leaders' meeting. [45639/26]
43. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the revised national digital and AI strategy. [45640/26]
The EU migration pact was passed in the Dáil by just seven votes and within six months, 35 TDs had either retired or lost their seats. Ireland is not in Schengen. Ireland shares a common travel area with Britain and we are an island nation. We have every right to control and manage our own borders. Yet, in June 2024 the Government voted to surrender that control. It handed decision-making over to the EU in terms of w…
-----what this is going to cost in terms of fines.