I called them underlings not lackies.
TDs / Mary Lou McDonald
Mary Lou McDonald
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
193
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
141,893
words spoken in the chamber
Across 1,424 contributions
172
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
56
topics asked about
Across 12 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 193 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 1,424 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 10 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 17 |
| February 2025 | 15 | 76 |
| March 2025 | 22 | 80 |
| April 2025 | 22 | 73 |
| May 2025 | 19 | 157 |
| June 2025 | 14 | 113 |
| July 2025 | 4 | 111 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 12 | 47 |
| October 2025 | 9 | 85 |
| November 2025 | 4 | 71 |
| December 2025 | 1 | 25 |
| January 2026 | 13 | 59 |
| February 2026 | 22 | 92 |
| March 2026 | 3 | 53 |
| April 2026 | 10 | 84 |
| May 2026 | 3 | 88 |
| June 2026 | 4 | 68 |
| July 2026 | 1 | 38 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 2 |
| September 2026 | 5 | 31 |
| October 2026 | 10 | 44 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 1,197 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 Dublin Central 29 November 2024 to now
- party Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
For the avoidance of doubt, they are in fact underlings and not lackies. I am happy to clarify that.
Israel has resumed its genocidal war on the people of Gaza. Some 970 deaths over the past 48 hours have been reported by health authorities, the majority children, women and the elderly. Those who have died have died hungry. The attack follows Israel's total blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and doctors watch people die before their eyes. This is the horrific result of the impunity handed to Israel. Netanyahu has…
I am not the Taoiseach.
I do.
Correct.
Jesus, that is pathetic.
The Taoiseach did not do that.
You sang dumb, Taoiseach.
Tugann Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan deis dúinn go léir machnamh a dhéanamh ar an am atá caite agus tabhairt faoin todhchaí go cróga. Déanann muid ceiliúradh ar na glúnta máithreacha, iníonacha agus deirfiúracha ar diúltaíodh fios a bheith acu agus a tháinig timpeall ar dhúshlán doshéanta le misneach an t-athrú a chur i gcrích. Tá dul chun cinn suntasach bainte amach ag mná ag obair le chéile, ach tá rás fada fós le rith.…
Over the course of the next week the Taoiseach will engage in three crucially important meetings for Ireland's future. The first is a meeting with the British Prime Minister in which I hope the Taoiseach will press for a reset of relationships as equal partners. Then there is an EU Council meeting at a time when the European Commission has kickstarted an EU arms race, proposing a colossal €800 billion in military spe…
Gan dabht, tá na gaolta sin uilig an-tábhachtach ar fad. That is why I have raised the question with the Taoiseach. I am not in the least bit complacent. I am deeply concerned about the international order at this time and Ireland's place within it. Peace is not achieved by investing in and financing war. Every rule in the book is being set aside to enable Europe to invest €800 billion in weapons of war. That is pate…
What about Palestine and Gaza?
Figures were released this morning to our justice spokesperson, Deputy Carthy, that make for very shocking reading. They reveal that suspects in 40,348 crimes carried out in 2024 were out on bail. This is an issue we have raised repeatedly with the Government, and I am raising it again this morning. The 2024 figure represented an increase of 5,000 on the figure for 2022. Astonishingly, the combined figure for the pas…
The figures are shocking.
The figures do not tell that story.
Hear, hear.
Hear, hear.
13. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach how the new disability unit within his Department will function. [7554/25]
26. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education and disability will meet next. [6074/25]
The right to feel safe in your home, in your community and on the streets is precious. As a TD for Dublin Central, I represent communities who could write volumes on how that right has been systematically taken away from them.
It is shameful that families who live in strong, resilient and vibrant communities, people who work in the centre of Dublin and those who visit our capital city are so often met with a climate…
Parents of children with special needs are constantly coming up against brick walls while trying to access essential services for their children. The scandal of children with scoliosis and spina bifida, left in pain while waiting for their operations, has been one of this Government's most damning failures. The heartbreaking stories of people being left behind often involve excruciating waits for assessment of needs,…
To be clear, that has been sought and secured. This case is on the public record.
I am glad the Taoiseach agrees with me that this situation is entirely unacceptable, that children are left without access to urgent dental care. I also welcome the fact that the Taoiseach will, as I understand it, make a direct intervention in respect of Tiernan, because a solution needs to be-----
I am putting the question to the Taoiseach, with respect, not to the Chief Whip. I asked that the Taoiseach make an intervention, and I would appreciate it if he did that. The problem is that we cannot bring all 7,000 stories of all of those children waiting for more than a year, or the 1,100 who have been waiting four years.