There are particular rules about interruptions as well.
TDs / Micheál Martin
Micheál Martin
Taoiseach
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
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
The key issue in housing is supply. Everything the Government is doing is and will be focused on increasing the supply of houses right across the board. This includes an increased number of social houses. In the last four years, a record 48,000 social houses have been provided. Not since 2008 has that level of new-build social housing been provided. In addition, we brought in the tenant in situ scheme. Only two month…
Last year, approximately 1,500 houses were acquired in tenant in situ situations. This scheme has only been in place for a very short period of time. There has been a very rapid expansion of the scheme. I am not criticising local authorities. Many availed of the scheme and pushed forward with its delivery.
We saw a record number of new social homes constructed in 2023, as well as local authority and AHB relets, whic…
I appreciate the Deputy's acknowledgement of certain measures the Government has taken. The Government has acted, as indeed has the Opposition. The Deputy made a very fair point about the State of Palestine today and the question of how one reconstructs a pathway to a two-state solution in the context of the appalling war and genocide being waged by Israel. I am very conscious of the particular family the Deputy ment…
It is at that level-----
-----and at the level of the United States Government that the real leverage can happen to get Israel to stop.
On the bond issue, the Central Bank of Ireland is part of the European Central Bank. It is a constituent member of the European Central Bank. We all know that.
No, it does not act unilaterally on fundamental matters.
That is the reality of Ireland joining the European Central Bank. The Central Bank is independent of the Government, by the way. That is a fundamental point of central banks. Politicians and other political leaders rail against central banks. That is another inconvenient truth-----
It does not sell.
It is a very narrow area in terms of the prospectuses and whether that would-----
There are limits. If all of us want to be honest about this - I want to get the right phrase here - we are really on very narrow ground here.
We are, really. This is not as proclaimed. The Central Bank is not facilitating anything-----
-----or approving bonds or anything like that.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and the cases of Emilia and Hannah. Will the Deputy confirm that Hannah did not get the surgery?
Okay. I do not want to put too much of a burden on the parent, but the issue should be formally referred to the Medical Council, for example, or to the authorities in CHI. It is important now that the Medical Council takes a role here in terms of the professional regulation of its members.
There is an onus on the Medical Council to be proactive in respect of this issue. I am conscious that it is a random, anonymised sample, although, to paraphrase, the author says there is a preponderance to a smaller number of surgeons in this context. I do not know who the clinical director at Cappagh is, by the way, but I know who the clinical director was at that time. That in itself is a serious issue because that…
The Minister has said already in response to that the last evening that she is not ruling out going beyond 2010, but that the priority right now has to be followed through-----
Let us be sensible about it. The Minister has to deal with those where skeletal maturity applies in terms of the cases that have been the subject matter of the external review, which is about 15 years. For those over that, they are in a transitional programme of care already as they transition to adult care. However, the Minister has said that this can be looked at in the context of getting the first phase done initi…
I thank the Deputy very much for raising this issue. I always marvel at the scenic beauty of County Kerry. I was down there on Monday at Fossa-----
No, at the economic summit. I had a very good few days in Kenmare early last summer when I was preparing for the general election. It sorted me out fairly well. Of course, we are all inspired by that beautiful ballad, "As I Leave Behind Néidín". It was written by a Corkman, Jimmy McCarthy, and made famous by Mary Black.
The Deputy is right to highlight the strengths and assets of Kenmare. He has been very clear about the need for funding for Kenmare pier. Local authorities have primary responsibility for the maintenance and development of the piers, harbours and slipways they own. As the Deputy knows, as part of the annual fishery harbour centre and coastal infrastructure development programme, the Department of Agriculture, Food an…
I will certainly talk to the Minister of State with responsibility for the marine and Kerry County Council to see what we can do in order to put something together. The funding might have to come next year, I do not know. It would be good even if the planning was done and there was an assessment of what is required.
The Deputy is correct that Kenmare is a beautiful town. I like the way he referred to the great food …
That is an extraordinary number of people, and it is a wonderful project. We will work with the Deputy on that.
I thank the Deputy.