This could and should be over by now if the Deputies were following all the rules all the time.
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
697,684
words spoken in the chamber
695,546 as a minister, 2,138 as a TD
198
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 3 November 2026.
Contributions to debates 6,621 in all
Dec 2024Nov 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 |
| November 2026 | 75 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 6,501 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
They are trying to dictate to all of us.
I thank the Deputies. I kind of responded to Deputy Ó Cearúil. I agree with what Deputy Daly said. We need to strengthen our defences and capability. What Deputy Daly said about a small business in his constituency is interesting. Some people in the House are oblivious about the level of cybersecurity attacks on the private sector in Ireland. Many companies are spending a lot of money on their cybersecurity defences …
On the European Union meetings-----
The Deputies had their chance and did not even mention Russia. It is a one-way ticket as far as the Deputies are concerned. The fact is that the Baltic countries, Finland, Sweden and others feel there is a genuine existential threat to Europe. Europe feels exposed, and that it does not have the necessary capabilities yet. It needs to enhance its capabilities. That is why there is a build-up and investment in security…
-----and its member states. The geopolitical world is changing. The US is clear in saying that it will remain a member of NATO, but it seems to many in Europe that Europe will have to develop its own independent capacities and capabilities-----
-----as will member states. On Deputy Ó Fearghaíl's point, Europe will have to stand up and be the bastion of a multilateral, rules-based order. It will have to maintain its focus on the United Nations in a world where that is being threatened and undermined. There is no doubt of that. Ireland as a small country needs an international, global rules system. It is what we always stood for. Deputy Tóibín mentioned that …
The European Union will take a strategic view on how it responds to whatever tariffs are imposed. We do not quite know yet what tariffs, at which level or in which sectors, will happen. We will know on 2 April and then Europe will take some time, though not too long, to see how it responds. Europe does not want any tariffs. Europe believes that tariffs are damaging to the economy, to jobs and to consumers because inf…
In response to Deputy Bacik, in the past, I have defended LGBT rights at the European Council meeting in the face of decisions taken by Prime Minister Orbán to curtail such rights, and will continue to do so. Hungary's behaviour on the Council on a number of fronts has been a matter of grave concern in recent times.
In respect of the Middle East, I have condemned the Israeli attack. I have said it is in breach of hu…
I will indeed. All the focus of Deputy Boyd Barrett's remarks was on the European Union, without a mention of Russia.
I have said consistently that the conduct of modern warfare is appalling, no matter where is waged. It leads to the killing of civilians in huge numbers. In Ukraine, it has been absolutely appalling. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine, with devastating impacts for ordinary people. There has been massive displacement of 12 million people. The population of Ukraine is estimated to have gone from 40 million to 28 million,…
I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 to 30, inclusive, together.
On Monday, 27 January, I joined other world leaders at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and to commemorate international Holocaust remembrance day. It was a day where we remembered the unique horrors of the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews from across Europe were murdered in Nazi death camps. The commemor…
I appreciate the comments by Deputy Daly. We can never forget the exceptionalism of the Holocaust. It is important that we mark it and that is why I was determined, as Taoiseach, to visit Auschwitz for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. In particular, it may be the last occasion when we hear the voices of actual survivors.
With regard to retaining the right to criticise Israel, that will b…
Will the Deputy stop? I have never interrupt him but he keeps on interrupting. Will he even allow me to finish a sentence? It is not in the guidelines themselves, although there were explanatory clauses. We made it very clear that we retain the right to criticise Israel. The fact of the matter is that fellow, like-minded EU member states signed the IHRA guidelines a long time ago, including Spain, Slovenia and others…
Let me finish my point. I am answering the question. It is an important point to state in the House. Many in our Jewish community do not feel comfortable with the atmosphere out there at the moment in going about their daily lives and, more worryingly, do not feel comfortable with outward manifestations of the fact that they are Jewish.
We have to be alert to that. We have to deal with that in our schools to make su…
-----was a member of the Labour Party and had a very distinguished career here in terms of equality legislation in particular so there is an honourable and very positive Jewish tradition in Ireland and I think this is something we must protect. It is a small community. That is the context.
In response to Deputy Bacik on hate speech legislation, that Act was amended last year. We just went ahead with the penalty side…
Deputy Boyd Barrett attacked Germany. He has never attacked Hamas. He has never condemned Hamas for 7 October.
I have invited the Deputy on a number of occasions to condemn the Hamas attack on 7 October and he has refused every single time. That kind of moral equivalence is reprehensible, to be honest, because what happened on 7 October was reprehensible, and-----
Tá an ceart ag an Teachta go bhfuil na cruinnithe a bheidh agam an tseachtain seo agus an tseachtain seo chugainn tábhachtach. Léiríonn siad an gaol láidir agus tábhachtach atá idir ár dtír agus an Bhreatain. Léiríonn siad cé chomh tábhachtach is atá an gaol idir na tíortha san Aontas Eorpach agus, gan amhras, an gaol an-láidir atá idir na Stáit Aontaithe agus ár dtír. Sa trí chás sin, tá cúrsaí eacnamaíochta ríthábh…
We are pro-free trade and I will articulate that perspective. We will also articulate our views regarding Ukraine and the Middle East.
First of all, I invite Deputy McDonald to talk to political parties in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. She should ask them if our position is somehow going to ease their concern and anxiety. I do not think she gets it and I think she needs to engage more widely in terms of the perspectives of others on the European Continent. They have bitter experience of what happened to their people over many decades and centuries.…
In terms of Gaza and the Middle East, let us be clear. We want to consolidate the ceasefire and will be making that point very strongly. We want a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza. The Arab peace initiative and the Arab proposals in respect of Gaza have come through, which have a lot to commend themselves.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue because it is very important and one I am determined to deal with in the short term. I want to ensure there is a proper system in the years to come whereby parents will know in the previous academic year where their child will attend second level for the subsequent academic year. Parents are going through too much in terms of endeavouring to find a school place or navigating …
On the assessment of need, I said earlier that we are looking at the legislative framework. We will have to introduce legislation to deal with the issue around assessment of need.
There will have to be forward planning and that will be made clear to the agencies and the Department. There will have to be proper preparation in the coming years, looking at the demographics and the need and making sure there is a much more seamless system for parents and children with additional needs. That is the bottom line as far as I am concerned. Every child is entitled to an education. No school can be sayin…