On my behalf and on that of the Tánaiste and our colleagues, I join the Taoiseach, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, in delivering this full and unreserved apology to the family of the late Brian Stack. I acknowledge presence of Sheila, Austin, Kieran and Oliver. The State failed you in the investigation of Brian's killing. We know those failures added to your suffering, …
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.
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Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Contributions to debates 806 in all
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| February 2025 | 58 |
| March 2025 | 1 |
| April 2025 | 69 |
| May 2025 | 45 |
| June 2025 | 32 |
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| 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 move: “That the Bill be now read a Second Time.”
I am pleased to present the Bill to the House today. At the outset, I want to again acknowledge the members of our Defence Forces and thank them for the work they do in keeping us safe at home, but in particular, given this debate, to acknowledge, recognise and thank them for their significant contribution to peacekeeping missions for many decades.
I have set out i…
No.
It has nothing to do with numbers.
I thank all the Deputies who took part in this debate. It is important that we have an opportunity to discuss what is a really important matter for everybody in this country. I wish to touch on a number of points that have been raised, but also to restate a number of positions.
First, many Deputies have claimed this is being rushed. It is important to remind colleagues that this Bill was published in June following …
I move:
That the Bill be referred to the Committee on Defence and National Security pursuant to Standing Orders 103(2)(b) and 188(1).
I thank Deputy Cullinane for raising this issue today. I join him and many colleagues, and the entire country, in offering my condolences to the family of Philip, Kim, Jayden and Callum, and to acknowledge there are two children fighting for their lives in hospital after what was an absolutely appalling, vicious attack on a family who should still be with us today and that we should not be talking about in the Chambe…
I thank the Deputy. Those people are in all of our hearts today. We send our deepest condolences to their family and, as the Deputy said, to the community which is suffering. I agree fully with the Deputy's point that it is essential that it is not just those who carried out the act directly but also those they work for and who directed these types of actions. Last week we recognised that it is 30 years since the Cri…
I thank the Deputy. At the outset, I acknowledge and recognise the invaluable and significant contribution that our public sector workers make to this country and the impact they have on all our lives, whether it is those who work in our health services, not just in our hospitals but across our communities, the teachers and those in our schools who teach our children, the officials I work with in my Department on a d…
I respect and will uphold every single day a person’s right to protest. We live in a democracy, and thank God we do because it means people can protest and highlight issues of concern to them. Like all of us, I will protect a person’s right to protest on any matter. That is the country we live in, thankfully.
As the Minister and the Taoiseach have said very clearly, no preconditions have been set down for any talks.…
At the outset, it is important to outline – this is connected to the previous question raised - that investment in our public services is increasing. It has increased over the years because our population is increasing, as is the demand. When it comes to our health service in particular, because of the investment in years gone by, including the specific resources and investment allocated to preventative and community…
I reassure the Deputy and reaffirm that there is funding and that work is under way for the 48 beds in Portlaoise, recognising the demand that is there. Over the last number of years, additional capacity has been provided across the whole health system. A total of 1,493 new acute inpatient beds have been opened since the end of 2020. Eighty-eight critical care beds and 396 community beds have also been opened. It is …
I thank the Deputy. He is referring to quite a number of different things in his question. I am not sure whether some of it was questions or accusations. He is well aware that there have been certain issues raised by certain individuals with certain Departments for many years now, well before I or many other people he referenced already in this House were ever in the Department. They have been subject to and have und…
I think I have answered the question. The Deputy is referring to quite a number of different cases, as he and others have over the last while, much of which came to the fore before I even entered the Departments in question. As the Deputy is well aware, there are many of these issues that have already been addressed and gone through fair and due process. They were responded to directly by the relevant Department at t…
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. It is something about which she is passionate and that she has raised on many occasions in this House. She also engages regularly with her constituents in trying to find solutions. We can all diagnose and identify the problem but how do we find a solution to significant traffic congestion problems, particularly in the city centre, given the impact on our overall economy, ou…
The Deputy is right that any plan has to look at students, parents bringing students to school and also third-level students and staff who are travelling. I see myself when the schools are not open that the traffic heading into town is much less. Indeed, the traffic within the county is much less and that obviously applies in Dublin city centre too. Any plan will have to look at the students that are travelling, the …
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. She will appreciate that while I cannot comment on another country's laws or legislation, I can say-----
-----I was shocked by what I read.
I know Sally Rooney. I like her work. We all watch it, and read it as well. I have spoken a number of times to the foreign minister, who has clearly set out his position in support of Palestine. I have worked and engaged with him on steps and measures they can take as a Government to show and reflect that support. In terms of this specific decision, I have no problem speaking directly to the minister but obviously an…
I can assure the Deputy that work across all Government Departments and agencies is happening specifically about being prepared. The document sent to every house across the country was to focus on a wide range of issues including flooding and incidents like Storm Éowyn, where the impact on all of our communities was significant. A huge body of work is being done across the agencies to make sure that if another type o…
There are two issues. On public sector pay negotiations, the ambition of the Government is that it will sit down with the unions as quickly as possible so we can discuss an increase in pay that goes beyond inflation, as it has done in the previous negotiations. It is also so we can look at the other elements that are discussed as part of the public sector pay agreement, recognising the huge pressure and strain on our…
There are appropriate procedures and mechanisms for any claim or issue to be raised directly with either of the Departments that have been referenced.
Earlier this year we launched the maritime security strategy, the first of its kind, recognising that we are an island nation, that our maritime domain is seven times the size of our land domain and that there are new and emerging challenges we need to respond to.
There were a number of recommendations in that strategy, one of which is that we would expand our naval base while at the same time investing in technolog…
I acknowledge as well the visitors who are with us here today.
I know this is an important issue for constituents. In fact, when I was canvassing with the Deputy at the by-election, these matters were directly raised. The Deputy was advocating strongly on their behalf. As he outlined, the route 424 is particularly difficult during peak times, in the morning and evening. In response to that, the additional service in…
The important thing for the artists to know is that the Government is committed to introducing, as we have now done with this year's budget, a permanent scheme to support our artists. This is not something that has existed in the past. This is something that we, as a Government, supported. The Deputy and by many others have advocated for it and we have wanted to introduce it. This year the Minister has introduced for…