I note the Opposition keeps saying they are for reforming but there comes a time when the Opposition seems to only respond and be reactive in support of every campaign group that develops on any particular issue.
Governments will ruffle feathers from time to time as they bid to bring in reform. The Minister has engaged with the Law Society and will continue to engage with it.
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
I thank the Deputy for raising an important issue. Those around me are saying it is an excellent centre that provides great care. The industrial relations machinery should be used.
St. John of God's should engage with the industrial relations machinery to resolve this issue. That is the most effective way of doing it.
On the hosepipe ban, there are certain precautions the State and Irish Water should take in light of the unprecedented heat that we have experienced this summer, particularly in the past number of weeks. That would make sense. The hot weather could continue. We have seen what has happened across Europe and the horrific consequences for communities in Spain, France and elsewhere. We have also seen the excess deaths th…
We have worked very hard to improve and enhance Uisce Éireann.
We have allocated huge resources to it.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Youth unemployment is a seasonal and volatile issue.
One of the areas we need to examine more closely is the cost involved for SMEs generally and whether young people are being taken on, even on a part-time. There has been a cumulative increase in costs over quite a while. We will do everything we can to support young people's progression into employment. In June, the youth…
That scheme has been running for a long time. I will revert to the Minister for housing on the matter and come back to the Deputy with a more detailed reply. Schemes cannot go on forever, and there are limits to what the State can do on an ongoing basis. I will come back to Deputy Neville on the matter.
I thank Deputy McGrath for raising this matter. In fairness, he has raised it on a consistent basis. I understand the motivation behind it. Obviously, we undertook tax measures last year in respect of housing. We are anxious that the market has a certain solidity and certainty about it and that we maintain momentum in terms of housebuilding. I have taken note of the Deputy's advocacy.
The Minister is aware of the issue. There are moves afoot to accelerate the process as quickly as possible. Deputy Burke's general point that employers may still employ people is worth making. I will contact the Minister for enterprise in terms of a communication campaign.
I thought the Deputy said communication.
This is a hot topic at the moment. Deputy McAuliffe of my party presented a paper on it recently. My understanding is that one route is that it will be a matter for local authorities in the first instance. In other words, we would enable local authorities to raise this tax if they wish or if they feel it is something they want to do. There is a lot of merit in it. In major cities like Dublin, it would provide signifi…
The Government is taking very strong action on disability generally. Some €600 million extra was allocated in the most recent budget and there have been major increases in expenditure on education. The general scheme of the disability (amendment) Bill 2026 will be published shortly. That deals with the assessment of need process. The proposed amendments will make that process more child-centred, enabling proportionat…
I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and I agree that respite needs to be enhanced. In the last budget, an extra €600 million was given to disability services, which has at least helped to consolidate a lot of the section 38 providers and providers more generally. The Minister for housing has met with the Minister for disability. They have agreed a protocol that local authorities now have to prioritise people wit…
I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. There has been an increase in funding and so forth, as well as new funding to help services meet the fee management conditions attached to core funding. Most services will see their core funding rise to help to maintain the fee freeze. However, about 10% will be required to reduce their fees. I do not know whether this is the case in the specific experience the Deputy has spo…
Who was this directed at?
I thank the Deputy for raising the appalling and horrific murder of Jamey Carney. It does speak to a very significant crisis in our modern-day society where such violence against women is excessive. I think the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, articulated this in plain language last week. This is something we will again be considering in Government, notwithstanding all the measures that have bee…
The terrible crimes of Bill Kenneally were those of a predator who, for decades, abused young boys in Waterford city and its surrounding areas. Kenneally was ultimately convicted of some of these appalling sexual crimes. He received total sentences of nearly 19 years and died in prison last month, just over half-way through his term. The report of Mr. Justice Michael White arising from the south east commission of in…
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I appreciate that the survivors of the horrific abuse perpetrated by Seán Drummond are in the Gallery today. I was not aware that they would be here today or that the issue would be raised but, notwithstanding that, there is no question that the trauma experienced by them and others as a result of the heinous acts of this individual, Seán Drummond, and indeed many others in…
As far as I can see, this is new information in respect of this letter. Was this a confession letter written to the Garda at the time or to whom? I am not sure as to who, but we can discuss that.
I will take this further, and I will examine this. To be fair, I did not anticipate that this would be raised this afternoon, but I certainly will take the issue the Deputy raised in respect of this letter that written by Seán Drummond in the 1970s further and see how best to examine and deal with that. As I said, there is an interdepartmental group, but I will reflect on this and discuss it with the Minister for edu…
The Deputy's portrayal of the Government's position on special education is wrong and does not accord with the facts. We have expanded provision for special education year after year, and we continue to do so, with thousands of more places, hundreds of extra special classes, new special schools, thousands of additional special needs assistants, SNAs, and additional special education teachers. The numbers speak for th…
Thousands of additional places were secured last year. Where-----
Sorry, I am answering the questions but the Deputy is making false assertions.
The Deputy is.