I do not think there is any need to answer anymore.
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
705,467
words spoken in the chamber
703,329 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 4 November 2026.
Contributions to debates 6,677 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 | 131 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 6,554 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
First, I reject what the Deputy has said. Is léir gurb í an ghéarchéim aeráide an ceann is tábhachtaí atá os comhair na Dála seo. Táimid sa Rialtas ag déanamh gach aon iarracht déileáil leis an bhfadhb sin agus tá sé sin le feiscint ón méid infheistíochta atá curtha isteach againn i bpolasaithe éagsúla a bhaineann leis an ngéarchéim aeráide.
There is no resiling or rowing back from our commitment to addressing the i…
The Deputy seems to have deliberately used the upper range. It is from €8 billion to €26 billion.
It is highly speculative and highly uncertain about what will transpire. I listened to the authors this morning.
Suffice it to say, the Government is committed to achieving our targets. It will be very challenging, because as soon as we move on any one of them, different elements of the Opposition will oppose some of the measures we have announced and taken. A huge retrofitting programme is under way and our public …
They may be looking for a bypass too.
First, Ireland has distinguished itself in the peacekeeping missions that have been deployed all over the world.
We pay tribute to members of Óglaigh na hÉireann for discharging their duties honourably and with great professionalism. They are much sought after in trouble spots across the world because of that professionalism and commitment. I will put that on the record.
Second, Ireland is very committed to multila…
That does not add up. It is completely in conflict. Both principles do not align at all. It is because of how Russia has been performing - others maybe put particularly Russia, and this did not just start with the invasion three years ago - that I cannot in conscience stand over a situation where we would say Russia should have a veto over whether Irish troops participate in peacekeeping missions.
Looking at the influence of the Wagner Group in the Sahel in Africa, providing security to rogue and puppet regimes, are we really saying that is the country that should veto whether we participate in peacekeeping or not?
Because of war.
That quotation was from nearly a decade ago. The Deputy did not address anything I put to him.
Three years ago we had a state like Russia upend the multilateral order, upend the UN Charter and invade a peaceful country like Ukraine. I was the Minister for Defence for two years before becoming Taoiseach and saw at first hand how the existing legislation restricts our capacity to participate in overseas events. Even the number of 12, for example, is ridiculously low and is hampering our efforts to get in to help…
Defective concrete blocks is a complex issue. This Government has been engaging with homeowners and various organisations from the very beginning. I met with some in my previous time as Taoiseach. The 2025 funding for this initiative has increased by over 50% from €45 million to €70 million. That means something is going on. There is activity, without question. The overall scheme is expected to cost €2.2 billion. The…
I am not in a position to give the Deputy dates or timelines today. There is work to be done on the legislation. Suffice to say that a comprehensive commitment has been given here by the last Government and followed through by this Government. The NSAI is currently examining the situation in terms of the most up-to-date scientific advice in respect of all of this. We will continue to work with stakeholders and repres…
Deputy Doherty is not interested in a resolution. In a strange way, he is enjoying this and will keep it going for as long as he possibly can. I have got many letters from the leaders of the Opposition parties. I recall the night I was meant to be elected Taoiseach. We saw what happened then. I remember ringing Deputy Bacik, who had written a letter and told RTÉ, Virgin Media and everybody else that she was desperate…
Meanwhile, the Tánaiste and I were waiting above in the Sycamore room. Where were the leaders of the Opposition parties?
They were nowhere to be seen. They dispatched a letter, told the media they had done so and then went off doing what they were going to do anyway.
This has happened on more than one occasion. The last time I got a phone call from Deputy Bacik, I was at a meeting in Brussels.
She asked whether we could meet. A half an hour later, on the 9 o'clock news, I heard that Deputy Bacik had written to the Taoiseach seeking an urgent meeting.
This kind of play-acting keeps going on.
To be fair, Deputy Gannon said we are in uncharted waters and we are. We are in uncharted waters across the world, where the most profound and grave challenges are facing people. There are terrible wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
There is a terrible war in Sudan and there are very significant economic headwinds coming. Let us be frank; the situation is very serious.
It is very uncertain and very uncharted.
With respect to the Chair, eight minutes on a Wednesday-----
-----in addition to what was already there and eight minutes on a Thursday, pales into insignificance-----
-----with what we are facing collectively as a country.
It is time to cop on here, and have a bit of common sense and proportionality.