I will pursue the matter. I do not know whether an application has gone in under the summer works scheme. Is it too big for that?
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 |
| 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
Yes. I will alert the Minister for education to the specifics and ask if she could respond to the school authorities and to the Deputy.
I thank Deputy Ó Cearúil. Obviously, the quality of Maynooth University Crèche must have been of a very high standard given the manner in which the Deputy has come through ever since, right into Dáil Éireann.
I have just been informed that building blocks have now been suggested. In any event, I will talk to the Minister, Deputy Foley, and to the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, about Kildare and its needs. It is probably one of the fastest growing counties in the country and clearly it is no surprise to me that the demand is quite high there.
Again, I will talk to the Minister involved. Has the Deputy spoken to the HSE authorities locally or regionally there about why the service was suddenly stopped? There is normally a background to these issues. Certainly, we will enquire with the HSE and with the Minister.
If the Deputy gets the background information, we will see what we can do.
Part of me would say these agencies, the Garda and so on need to get this sorted out. The Government cannot be intervening left, right and centre in every organisation it establishes that has statutory duties and functions. We need to create a culture in this regard. I fully appreciate the Deputy raising this issue and I will talk to both Ministers in respect of this issue. These organisations have been established b…
There are two things. First, many local authorities do a lot of good work in terms of voids. The Deputy has sat on a council. I think all of us have complained over the years where a house, which has been vacated due to tenants leaving for whatever reason, has remained unoccupied for an inordinate length of time. That system has to change. That house should be very quickly reallocated to other tenants on the housing …
There is a lack of application.
There is a lack of resource application and a lack of desire, in that it is said it is too cumbersome and too difficult. It is there for a reason. The law is complex but you need to be tenacious and you need to persevere. Third, the Deputy will be glad to know that St. Kevin's Hospital in Cork has been taken over by the LDA-----
-----and a very good housing scheme is now being developed there.
Finally, the Deputy is right in one respect and that is why we asked the LDA to acquire some more of these properties from the HSE and others, that is, to get them used for housing.
The Government was formed on 22 January. The general election was at the end of November. A number of Opposition people habitually equate the general election date with the formation of Government date. It is a clever ploy but it is not the truth. The Government has only been in office since 22 January. It is a very short while. It might seem like longer to the Deputy but that is how short it has been. In many instan…
-----but everyone understands their role, function and purpose. It has been a very effective one. Deputy Thomas Byrne has performed excellently in the role as have his predecessors.
The Taoiseach: -----but everyone understands the role, function and purpose of the Minister of State with responsibility for European Affairs.
Likewise, with regard to the Third World, the Minister of State with responsibility for Irish Aid has very clearly delineated functions, policies and initiatives-----
-----without requiring a dedicated Department.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue in the manner he has done so. I understand fully, as he eloquently articulated in the House some weeks ago, his personal experience of this entire situation in respect of his own child. That is a valuable input into the debate on this issue. I anticipate and expect a report to be published at the end of the week. It is important it is published and that in parallel with the p…
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 12, inclusive, together.
The Cabinet Committee on Justice, Migration and Social Affairs will oversee the implementation of programme for Government commitments that regard matters under these headings. It was established in February 2025 following the appointment of the new Government in January.
The Cabinet Committee on Justice, Migration and Social Affairs had its first meeti…
I thank the Deputies for their contributions. Deputy Brabazon has consistently raised in the House the issue of how the regulations are currently operating in respect of e-scooters and scrambler bikes. He referenced how some of these new vehicles are being utilised as part of criminal enterprises, particularly the utilisation of young minors in the distribution of drugs. This is a very serious issue which demands a r…
I understand the issues the Deputy and her colleagues have raised in respect of it. It was a shocking situation overall.
Deputy Smith raised the issue of reconfiguration of Garda districts. I will talk to the Minister for Justice in respect of the point about the unique policing demands of Border areas requiring specific resourcing.
Deputy Ó Murchú supported that. As for community safety partnerships, these are imp…
It is not, really. It is also sending a signal that we have asylum laws for people who genuinely need asylum, not for everyone who comes in. A lot of economic migrants come in who should be applying for work permits. That is the point.
Deputy Lawless followed up on the costs ballooning. We have obligations. There has been a significant inflationary cycle but we are reducing the numbers in hotels quite significantly …
Apologies. Deputy Connolly raised the issue of local area disadvantage. I accept his point that health figures are not as good, by definition, in areas of disadvantage. It is extremely important, both on the education and health fronts. In education, we have a successful DEIS programme. We are now looking at DEIS plus. The Minister was at the Cabinet today signalling a move to DEIS plus for areas of profound socioeco…
I propose to take questions Nos. 13 to 19, inclusive, together.
On Thursday, 27 February I met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Shannon Airport during a scheduled stopover on his way to Washington. We had a warm and substantial meeting. We discussed the most recent developments with regard to the situation in Ukraine.
I reiterated Ireland's steadfast support for Ukraine and its people as they continue to defend the…
I again thank all the Deputies who contributed. Deputy Bacik spoke about the European Union membership of Ukraine. We were one of the steadfast early supporters of Ukraine's membership of the European Union, believing it would end a vacuum geopolitically, create its own implicit security for Ukraine and also enable it to be a full participant in the economic benefits and basic liberties that go with being a member of…
It is not.