-----because the party always wants us to produce the blueprint.
TDs / Micheál Martin
Micheál Martin
Taoiseach
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0
questions asked
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them
688,766
words spoken in the chamber
686,628 as a minister, 2,138 as a TD
197
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
Members of the Government answer parliamentary questions rather than ask them, so this page lists none of theirs.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Contributions to debates 6,546 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Contributions |
|---|---|
| December 2024 | 11 |
| January 2025 | 6 |
| February 2025 | 438 |
| March 2025 | 518 |
| April 2025 | 317 |
| May 2025 | 426 |
| June 2025 | 424 |
| July 2025 | 344 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 146 |
| October 2025 | 375 |
| November 2025 | 291 |
| December 2025 | 281 |
| January 2026 | 326 |
| February 2026 | 529 |
| March 2026 | 229 |
| April 2026 | 385 |
| May 2026 | 474 |
| June 2026 | 425 |
| July 2026 | 181 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 198 |
| October 2026 | 222 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 6,426 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Cork South-Central 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fianna Fáil 29 November 2024 to now
- office Taoiseach 23 January 2025 to now
By the way, Fianna Fáil will not be found wanting, nor will other parties, in terms of delivering substance in respect of this issue.
That is covering all the seven really. There are a good few-----
Deputy Devlin made a very important point and he has done very good work as Chair of the Good Friday committee. I certainly think he is correct in respect of what has happened in Nigeria. At the European Union-African Union Summit, that was raised in terms of what Boko Haram and various jihadist groups were doing in terms of the persecution and killing of many people, but Christians as well, and the kidnapping of you…
I have no issue with people - obviously, I do not - supporting Palestinians. I do have an issue - I am not saying this happened in these cases at all because I do not know the full detail of them - but I read recently of a case where there was a ramming of building in London, so it is not as black and white as the Deputy has articulated, or even here where people drive through gates and barriers and do criminal damag…
So, is that acceptable? Is that legitimate protest? No, it is not. When there are people working in those offices, they do not think it is legitimate. All I am saying is we all have to be clear on the demarcation line. I am not familiar with the individual cases here in terms of the alleged crimes and so on like that, but let us not try to pretend that everything is just all one way because-----
-----one thing I do know-----
One thing I do know is either on the far right or the far left, people do transgress the lines and let us not pretend they do not. They have in this country in the past. There clearly are other issues in the UK-----
-----and so on like that. Look, some people were trying to stop Dublin Port the other day.
Well, they should not be trying to stop-----
Some 80% of trade in this country goes through Dublin Port and you guys want to wreck it. That is bread on the table. Workers all over the country depend on trade going through Dublin Port. As far as the Deputies are concerned, that should be stopped in its tracks. There are demarcation lines that we have to be very clear about. The right to protest-----
-----is a sacred right in this country. We should cherish that and we should never do anything to damage it, nor should others.
I think I have dealt with the issue Deputy Bacik raised in my general response. I do not believe a citizens' assembly is the right way to go.
Deputy Conway-Walsh spoke about the cancer consortium. I helped to set that up originally. We are supporting it. On congenital heart disease, there …
Again, they were not negotiated by this Government, nor are they part of the joint framework. It is our understanding that the accommodation made for witnesses should apply in the cases of all victims equally, regardless of the perspective being brought to the matter.
I did.
You are very welcome, Declan.
It is a brilliant statement.
I jest.
I will try to cut it short to allow others to come in. I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 to 35, inclusive, together.
I established the disability unit in the Department to bring about a renewed focus and urgency and out of a desire to drive progress on disability issues. The unit's first programme plan, published in September, outlines how the unit will drive the delivery of the Government's new national disabilit…
You can bring some more of them in if you want, a Cheann Comhairle.
I am not going to write replies to oral questions. I have given an overall response to everybody.
Do I have six minutes remaining?
I will get around to everybody who has asked a question.
It is a new departure if I am going to do a written reply to every oral question. That is not on either.
Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan raised the Rainbow Club, which is doing exceptional work. Jon and Karen O'Mahony have been exceptional leaders in that regard. The former Minister of State, now Senator Rabbitte, did good work on a service level agreement. I was involved in advocating for that building, which was a HSE building, to be allocated to the Rainbow Club. I will certainly continue to work with them and to support t…
The Minister, Deputy Foley, will lead, with the support of the unit in my office, but she will also report to the Cabinet subcommittee, which will then make recommendations to the Cabinet. That is how this will work. The Cabinet subcommittee is very important because all the key Ministers have to be there.
I agree with Deputy Cian O'Callaghan that the unemployment levels among the disability community is too high, a…