I will work to build that consensus at a European level. I assure Deputies that those who were on the flotilla and who are on their way to the airport will be met by our officials to make sure they are safe and supported.
TDs / Helen McEntee
Helen McEntee
Minister for DefenceMinister for Foreign Affairs and Trade
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
245,309
words spoken in the chamber
245,286 as a minister, 23 as a TD
321
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 806 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
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| Month | Contributions |
|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 58 |
| March 2025 | 1 |
| April 2025 | 69 |
| May 2025 | 45 |
| June 2025 | 32 |
| July 2025 | 38 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 8 |
| October 2025 | 13 |
| November 2025 | 74 |
| December 2025 | 40 |
| January 2026 | 2 |
| February 2026 | 28 |
| March 2026 | 32 |
| April 2026 | 2 |
| May 2026 | 161 |
| June 2026 | 34 |
| July 2026 | 65 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 50 |
| October 2026 | 54 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 727 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Meath East 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister for Education 23 January 2025 to 1 May 2025
- office Minister for Education and Youth 2 May 2025 to 18 November 2025
- office Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade 18 November 2025 to now
- office Minister for Defence 18 November 2025 to now
I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 31 and 51 together.
I thank the Deputy for this question. The trade forum has become a vital form of engagement between Government, Departments and Ministers but also important key trading stakeholders during a very uncertain and challenging time for international trade. The information and, importantly, the real-time feedback received from the members is extremely valuable. The …
My focus and priority this week have been ensuring the safety of our citizens who have been on board the flotilla. I am pleased to say that they are now on buses on the way to the airport and that our officials are on their way to the airport, if they are not already there, to assist and support them. We have been strong in condemning the actions of the Israeli Government. As I said earlier, the way in which we can r…
I engaged directly with colleagues at the most recent Council meeting. We have raised this matter directly with the chair of the Foreign Affairs Council. Since then, I have been advocating and working with colleagues to try to make sure this comes to a vote at the next Council meeting.
I thank Deputy Doherty. If I can, I will take the opportunity to inform the House exactly what the current situation is with the 14 Irish citizens who have been detained. The Government has been very clear in condemning the actions of the Israeli Government and the illegal detention and detainment of our citizens and many others in international waters. The behaviour this week by an Israeli Minister has been complete…
-----but we made a decision last year that we needed to respond directly and that is what we have done.
The fuel allowance, which supports over 400,000 people who are directly and most impacted by the increases in the cost of fuel, has been extended so a further 50,000 households have benefitted from that payment, and it has been extended by four weeks to take into consideration the situation that people are in. Tha…
Does the Deputy not understand that in the past month and a half alone, the Government has provided €750 million directly to homeowners, to people who get into their cars every day and go to work and to businesses that transport food and all of the commodities around the country and bring our children to school? That €750 million has not come nowhere. That is from our taxpayers, our Exchequer and this Government. Tha…
The Deputy is talking about €178 million. Some €750 million has been provided in the past month and a half alone. That is on top of the additional fuel allowance that we have provided, and on top of the retrofitting-----
-----that is taking place because the best thing we can do for people is to make sure that their overall energy bills come down-----
-----and we have a target of 74,000 homes that we want to retrofit this year. That is on top of the hundreds of thousands of people who have had their homes retrofitted and who are now seeing an overall and long-term reduction in the costs of their energy bills.
If we look at the ESRI report published in April, it said that the most effective supports-----
-----are those targeting the least well off and that is exactly what we are doing. We are targeting those who need our help the most with-----
-----with €750 million in the past month and a half.
I thank the Deputy. I fully agree with him and everybody in this House, in that I am equally appalled by the actions of the Israeli Government in the detention of our citizens and many others in international waters but in particular the footage we saw yesterday that clearly shows that people were not treated with basic human dignity or respect. As I said to the Deputy's colleague earlier, if this is the way that Eur…
I thank Deputy Nash. The commitments I have made here do not depend on each other. If we do not reach a consensus on a European level, that will not prevent me and the Government from brining forward the occupied territories Bill legislation and enacting it. Any legislation needs to be brought to Government beforehand, so I am not going to get into the details of it but I have been very clear. I have had engagement w…
I thank the Deputy. The footage we saw yesterday speaks to the Deputy's point. One thinks one cannot be shocked further when it comes to the actions of the Israeli Government but then we see further footage that shocks again and again. While we do not have a direct report as to whether or not any of our Irish citizens have been physically harmed, because the Israeli Government has not let us to have direct contact wi…
I will work closely with Kaja Kallas, who is the High Representative and who chairs the meeting but who I will be working closely with throughout the Presidency, to ensure that the situation in the Middle East, in Gaza and in the West Bank, is firmly on the agenda and that a number of actions will be taken. Ireland will have to be a neutral arbiter as we are for any of the files or Councils that we chair and that hap…
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. While I know he is specifically talking about somebody with cancer or a long-term illness and the implications for them and their families long term, this could apply to a number of different scenarios for people. As a country, how we treat those who are at their most vulnerable is a testament to who we are. It is a sign of who we are as a Government, as a society and as a …
What we need to do is build on what we have and always try to improve the system. When we live in a country where our economy is growing strong because of the people the Deputy mentioned who have contributed to it for many years, we need to ensure that we are reinvesting in those people, our communities and our economy and, in particular, targeting those who need our help the most. I have no doubt that the proposal t…
The Presidency offers three key opportunities and three key priorities for me. I also acknowledge the role Garret FitzGerald played not only in this country, but also when it comes to our position and the benefits that we have seen from the European Union over many years. This Presidency offers an opportunity to restate that. I grew up in a time where I have only known the European Union with the ability to live, to …
The Deputy is right that it is about trying to get that balance. In every decision we take we have to think of our core European values, our fundamental principles and why we do what we do. It is to make life better for all of the people that we represent, our citizens in Ireland and across the EU. We have seen a lot of backsliding in certain countries. Elections are taking place at the moment and I am concerned abou…
I was also concerned by the reports that I saw on the front of newspapers today. I have spoken to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, who has informed me that the Department received the accounts for the CIÉ group only just this week and he has not had a copy at this stage. He will obviously read it and will have to take action or respond to what is in the report. I have spoken to the Deputy about this many times. The Gove…
I have been asked twice this week to open a Passport Office in Northern Ireland, which could cost up to €6 million. We know that fewer than 500 citizens-----
-----are using a front desk at the moment.
I did not blame anybody.
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. In the past week or two, we have seen the Go Purple Day but, more broadly, we should be talking all the time about how the number of women in particular coming forward who are victims of domestic and sexual violence is increasing year on year. In one way, I see it as a good thing because women are coming forward but the figures we are seeing are completely alarming. They hi…