No business should feel invisible when it comes to Government support, yet many service-based SMEs believe they are overlooked simply because they do not manufacture or export. These businesses face significant overheads before they even open their doors, from licences and regulatory requirements to insurance, energy, wages and other rising costs. Despite these pressures, they continue to provide local employment and…
TDs / Tony McCormack
Tony McCormack
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
323
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
23,430
words spoken in the chamber
Across 198 contributions
432
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
129
topics asked about
Across 20 departments
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
What they ask about
The subject headings the Oireachtas filed their questions under.
Who they ask
The departments their questions were addressed to.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Questions asked 323 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 198 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 10 | 6 |
| March 2025 | 8 | 0 |
| April 2025 | 9 | 0 |
| May 2025 | 32 | 26 |
| June 2025 | 13 | 11 |
| July 2025 | 12 | 5 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 16 | 8 |
| October 2025 | 17 | 3 |
| November 2025 | 24 | 13 |
| December 2025 | 15 | 14 |
| January 2026 | 28 | 7 |
| February 2026 | 14 | 8 |
| March 2026 | 15 | 12 |
| April 2026 | 23 | 23 |
| May 2026 | 25 | 28 |
| June 2026 | 17 | 16 |
| July 2026 | 21 | 9 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 10 | 4 |
| October 2026 | 14 | 5 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 192 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Asked about similar topics
Worked out by computer from the subject headings of each TD's questions, giving more weight to headings few TDs use. It shows shared subjects, not shared views.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Offaly 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fianna Fáil 29 November 2024 to now
25. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Taoiseach his assessment of and response to the NESC report, Connecting People to the Energy Transition. [68309/25]
Despite accounting for just 2% of the national landmass, County Offaly is on course to provide approximately 30% of the energy needed to power the country, including 1 GW each from wind and solar. At the moment, we supply 11% of the country's power. Last month, Offaly was the largest wind energy provider in the country. That is a very significant national contribution. Yet, Offaly remains 10% below the national avera…
153. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Defence the way the new strategic framework for the transformation of the Defence Forces will improve Defence Forces working conditions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12176/26]
I have concerns regarding the deployment of Garda resources in rural towns in County Offaly, including Banagher and many other smaller towns. It is not the remit of the Minister for justice to say where gardaí are deployed. That is the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner. Following approximately ten recent break-ins in Banagher and the surrounding areas, we know that the slow response time is due to gardaí havin…
90. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the progress made in expanding apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities; whether additional measures are planned to increase participation and completion rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6757/26]
What progress has been made on expanding apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities? Are additional measures planned to increase participation and completion rates? I ask the Minister to make a statement on the matter.
I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I wish to briefly underline the importance of apprenticeships in the context of the very significant investment the Government is making in infrastructure and housing. If we are serious about delivering on our housing targets, retrofitting programmes, transport projects and wider public capital investment, we must ensure we have a strong and sustainable pipeline of skilled…
Many young people enter mainstream third level education and subsequently drop out for a range of reasons, including being pushed into or choosing the wrong course. There remains a degree of snobbery within our educational system and wider society that prioritises traditional college routes at all costs, even where apprenticeships would better suit a young person's skills, aptitude and learning style. Given that many…
There was great news today with the announcement of 36,284 new housing unit completions, a 20% increase on the 2024 figures and the largest number since we started recording these figures. I meet people every day who believe that owning their own home is beyond their reach but when we sit down and go through the figures, it often becomes clear that with the help-to-buy scheme and the first home scheme, home ownership…
I acknowledge the significant work being delivered by the Minister, Deputy Browne, the Minister of State and the accelerated infrastructure programme brought forward by the Minister, Deputy Chambers. That programme is about unlocking funding, removing bottlenecks and clearing whatever is holding up progress on critical infrastructure projects. This work is welcome and necessary. However, the reality on the ground in …
In County Offaly, renewable energy developments are mainly located on peatlands around Rhode, Croghan, Edenderry, Banagher and Cloghan. These projects require abnormal load vehicles of up to 135 tonnes on 16-axle trailers. The damage caused by one trip of one of these vehicles is equivalent to one year of normal traffic. As a result, these peat-based roads now require annual maintenance, placing major pressure on our…
I want to raise the serious gap in primary care services in the midlands. There is no primary care occupational therapist in counties Offaly or Laois. As a result, children with mild to moderate developmental or sensory needs have no access to occupational therapists locally. Families are being told that unless their children's difficulties worsen to the point where they meet the criteria for disability services, no …
14. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the way in which the new infrastructure report will benefit County Offaly, particularly in terms of investment and regional development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70413/25]
I thank the Minister. The accelerating infrastructure report and action plan outlines significant reforms aimed at improving delivery of major projects, including streamlining approval processes, a single decision pathway for water investment and stronger co-ordination across agencies. These reforms are welcome. For Offaly, infrastructure is key for future economic development, enterprise growth and balanced regional…
A core feature of the new infrastructure plan is to improve transparency and accountability. For Offaly, we need clear visibility that the Shannon pipeline spur and the wastewater upgrades are progressing together and not in staggered phases. Will the Minister commit to a county-level delivery reporting, so communities in Tullamore, Edenderry, Birr, Clara and Banagher can track progress and gain confidence that these…
I rise deeply saddened by the horrific murders that occurred in Edenderry on Saturday evening. Two innocent lives were taken - Mary Holt, aged 60, and four-year-old Tadhg Farrell. I wish to pay my respects to Mary and Tadhg. May they both rest in peace and may their memory guide our response through this moment of darkness. I visited the scene and it is something I will never forget. A room recently alive with an exc…
I want to acknowledge the wider trauma surrounding this event. Another woman remains in hospital with serious injuries. Her life has been changed forever and she will need support in ways we cannot measure yet. I also want to acknowledge the first responders, gardaí, paramedics and Offaly fire service officers who entered that scene. They faced what most people could not. They acted with courage and humanity and they…
While we prioritise electricity, water and transport, digital connectivity must now be treated equally. It is essential for Ireland's competitiveness. Europe has fallen behind the US and China. 5G stand-alone is under 2% in the EU and 0% in Ireland, compared with 20% in the US and 80% in China. AI, ehealth and advanced manufacturing cannot run on yesterday’s networks. If we want future investment in next-generation t…
7. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance his assessment of the impact recent international tariff changes are having on the Irish economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64103/25]
Like my colleague Deputy Brennan, I wish the Tánaiste the best with his new portfolio and look forward to working with him.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Tánaiste. Our economy has shown remarkable resilience in recent years and Irish exports have held up strongly despite global tariff uncertainties. That is a credit to our businesses. However, SMEs and retailers are operating on very tight margins and tariff-linked increases in import costs risk eroding their competitiveness on the ground. Will the Tánaiste outline what steps his Department ca…
One area feeling the impact of tariffs more directly is the Irish whiskey sector. Irish Distillers, Tullamore Dew and other smaller whiskey producers are paying higher tariff rates in the American market than Scotch producers while American bourbon enters the EU with no equivalent tariff. Irish whiskey is an export success story and a major employer across rural Ireland. Will the Tánaiste work closely with our EU par…
St. Brendan's Community School in Birr is facing ongoing uncertainty around long-promised works, including an ASD wing and a major school extension. This project was first approved in 2018. Since then, the school has moved through various stages but the works have not begun. Most recently, the school was told the project could not proceed until the national development plan implementation programme was published. For…
13. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Taoiseach for an update on his Department’s plans to co-ordinate a range of actions aimed at regulatory reform. [50582/25]