That is not on my agenda and it is not on the Government's agenda. A Government memo is immaterial. We discussed this on Monday evening - the Tánaiste, the Taoiseach with the Minister for justice. There is no delay in this respect.
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
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| 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 |
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| 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
I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very serious issue. I agree with her about the work of the Ryan brothers, in particular, as a catalyst for the decision by the Minister, Deputy Norma Foley, to set up the scoping inquiry which led to the Minister, Deputy Helen McEntee, yesterday bringing to Government proposals for the establishment of a commission of investigation into the handling of historical child sexual …
That is the Government's intention, commitment and determination to do. The specific issues the Deputy has raised are being examined in considerable detail with a view to enabling Government to have the powers, ultimately, to deal with those particular mechanisms that have been used. We want to make sure that the financial capacity is retained in the country and made available to provide compensation.
It is intriguing how the Deputy presents the case. In one sentence he says that the Government is going to jack up insurance awards and in another sentence he says that we are dithering. He is apparently urging us to bring clarity but I do not think he is urging us to bring clarity. I think he is urging us to fulfil maybe entirely the implications of the Act so that he can then start attacking the Government for poli…
I have just said it to the Deputy. It will be laid before the House but there will be no accompanying motion to the House to approve. However, this is something that the Oireachtas in its entirety has to reflect on. There will be implications in that decision for the Personal Injuries Assessment Board because essentially now we have a vacuum here in terms of personal injury awards. There is a legislative framework th…
That was the agenda. I know it.
We need, as an Oireachtas, to deal with this more soberly.
Balance and perspective are required in discussing this issue, which is very serious. The Government is very committed to continuing investment in cancer care. It has invested very hugely in cancer care in recent years. It invested up to €645 million between 2021 and 2024 alone. New treatments such as CAR T-cell therapy, radio-labelled therapy and specialised radiotherapy are now available in Ireland for the first ti…
-----because all the experts told us that centres of excellence were the way to go. I would appreciate greater clarity from the Deputy in respect of his assertion that 93% of patients attending private hospitals had a better outcome as against those attending public hospitals-----
----because the view was - and we have done this at St. James's Hospital, the Mater and Cork University Hospital-----
We have put centres of excellence there. That is where people should go.
We have more work to do. That is acknowledged. In his commentary, the Deputy has acknowledged that there have been improvements but he gives no credence to the fact that there has been very significant investment in cancer services. The number of staff in our health service has expanded dramatically.
The Deputy has just created an image of thousands fleeing the country.
He should concentrate on the increases in numbers in the health service. He cannot and should not ignore that because to do so reduces his credibility. He is making good points on one level but he is also using language like "antique" and suggesting that everyone is feeling the hospitals when there are increases in the number of staff year after year. We have invested hugely in increasing the number of people. Close …
On Letterkenny, we did work on Altnagelvin, which helps people in the north west both in cardiology and cancer care, which we invested in.
I thank the Deputy for raising this important question because the nitrates derogation is of course a critical element in the economic sustainability of many family farms and the broader rural economy in Ireland. I acknowledge the huge efforts being made by farmers in terms of the water quality issue and compliance. Water quality remains the fundamental issue as does the Habitats Directive. However, the Government ha…
I appreciate that farming and the food industry have been extremely important to the national economy, but of course it is particularly important to regional economies and to communities across the length and breadth of the country in terms of purchasing power and the impact on other sectors, the supply chain and so forth. It is a significant industry in Ireland, and farmers are taking unprecedented actions to improv…
I gave a comprehensive reply to the Deputy yesterday at Leaders' Questions. The simple matter is that we are in the same position this year as last year. There is an Estimates process under way and then there will be a budget. It is at that stage that clarity will be brought to a range of issues pertaining to supports for students-----
-----highlighting in particular that I would like to see additional supports for students with disabilities and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and through SUSI and thresholds to help a broad range of students.
First, it is critical that the recommendations of Dr. Shannon be implemented and that our focus is on that. There have been many calls for inquiries in many areas.
The Government yesterday took a very significant decision on the establishment of a commission that will have an enormous body-----
I know but I am just making the point. I have made the point previously about the most effective way to investigate or have inquiries into matters of this kind, given the enormity of what had to be covered in the decision yesterday. I had no issue with that, obviously, but I have broader concerns about the commission of investigation methodology and model as a basis for dealing with issues of this kind.
As the Deputy heard earlier, there are no delays in issuing of visas and there is no wrangling going on. There have been about 45 in total, adults and children. The original WHO agreement was one on one but we did not observe that in many respects because there are complex issues involving families, siblings left behind and the need for carers. Logistically, evacuating children from Gaza is very difficult and much of…
-----out of Gaza as quickly as possible will be done.
The Minister met with clinicians in Letterkenny recently and there has been significant investment in Letterkenny hospital over the years. There can be challenges. There have been contributions from the Republic in investment in Altnagelvin. Looking at Donegal geographically, particularly Inishowen, the cross-Border services and capacity need to be strengthened to facilitate access. Under earlier cancer strategies, G…
An Garda Síochána will be to the fore in examining this and the background to it. I cannot comment on the case. Perhaps it is still under investigation and, potentially, a follow-through on that. I will talk to the Deputy afterwards. I was not aware of the ownership there.