I support this motion. The Minister of State’s amendment is shameful. He did not mention once in his speech the genocide going on in Gaza.
TDs / Donna McGettigan
Donna McGettigan
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
1,153
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
49,311
words spoken in the chamber
Across 197 contributions
419
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
228
topics asked about
Across 19 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 1,153 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 197 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 87 | 9 |
| March 2025 | 35 | 15 |
| April 2025 | 63 | 2 |
| May 2025 | 59 | 21 |
| June 2025 | 74 | 10 |
| July 2025 | 104 | 22 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 59 | 8 |
| October 2025 | 62 | 13 |
| November 2025 | 75 | 7 |
| December 2025 | 47 | 19 |
| January 2026 | 43 | 14 |
| February 2026 | 43 | 8 |
| March 2026 | 85 | 5 |
| April 2026 | 53 | 1 |
| May 2026 | 80 | 16 |
| June 2026 | 52 | 8 |
| July 2026 | 51 | 11 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 63 | 4 |
| October 2026 | 18 | 4 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 126 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 Clare 29 November 2024 to now
- party Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
Across Ireland, a huge number of organisations, community groups, sporting bodies, trade unions, public representatives and ordinary citizens have spoken out. They are not doing so because this is easy; they are doing so because they believe there comes a time silence becomes complicity.
Genocide is genocide. Moving this match to another venue does not make us any less complicit; it simply makes it out of sight and …
I wish the Minister’s grand aunt a happy 100th birthday. It is a great achievement to have.
I welcome this debate on ensuring our skills, training and innovation systems are kept up to date in a rapidly advancing world. Technology continues to evolve at a pace that means if, as a country, we are not investing enough in skills, research and innovation, we will be left behind very quickly. The world of work is changin…
People's lives-----
Trolley figures at University Hospital Limerick, UHL, to this point of the year in 2025 were 9,446. To date in 2026, the figure is 9,341, including today's figures. The figures are down 1% on last year, and with the new bed block having little impact. We and the Taoiseach know that more must be done in the mid-west, and in Clare, in particular.
Talking of the new block, I will bring up the Johnston family. As the Ta…
This motion goes to the heart of dignity, equality and basic fairness because the reality is that disabled people in Ireland are carrying a cost that is relentless and deeply unjust. As the Clare Leader Forum said:
Disabled People are under sustained financial pressure. These pressures are not confined to one area of life. They arise across transport, housing, employment, independent living, energy, communications, …
I thank my colleague, Teachta Ó Broin, for bringing forward the motion. The Government's housing record is not just a failure; it is a disgrace. In County Clare alone, 125 notices of termination were received by the RTB in quarter 1 of 2026, compared with 79 in the same period last year. That number is not just a statistic.
These are 125 people and families having their lives turned upside down – families living in …
This do-nothing Government has stood back and watched while fuel and energy prices have spiralled out of control. Families, workers, carers, pensioners and people with disabilities are being squeezed from every angle while this Government refuses to act. People cannot afford to wait until the next budget to find out whether they will once again be left worse off like workers were in this year's budget or forgotten ab…
150. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consider additional financial supports for students on a temporary basis due to increasing travel costs that students are currently facing as we approach exam time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34974/26]
Will the Minister consider additional financial supports for students on a temporary basis due to the increase in travel costs that students are currently facing, particularly at this time of exams?
I welcome the fact the Minister said he is trying, although the 10 cent reduction has already come and gone and it is still costing students and their families more to travel. Some students have no choice but to live at home and travel because there is no accommodation for them. We are coming into the exam period and there is also uncertainty around the student fees with the current cost of living. I know the Ministe…
Would the Minister look at the costings for a temporary free travel scheme for students affected by the current fuel crisis? We are not looking for this to be a permanent measure but, rather, a temporary one to get them over this period. Such a scheme could lift the burden on students commuting long distances to colleges. Any relief on the cost of living would make a significant difference to students. Not only are t…
152. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the framework or protection he will put in place to ensure that any service charge will be included in the rent charge for students in student accommodation, given that otherwise the service charge can soar up; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34975/26]
The Minister said that he does not like to see this happening in reply to me in committee. However, the RTB has said that if the rent is set out at the start with the services charged separately, the charge can stay separate. We have seen in institutions that the increase is around 7%, when we look at the rent rise and the rise of the service charges. I would like the Minister to sit down with the Minister for housin…
I hear that but I am still not hearing that the Minister will examine the service charge and the rent section going out together. It is a loophole and it will cause issues for students down the line if service charges can go up. They did in one institution recently where the cost increased by 7%. We need to sit down with students, with the Minister for housing and with the Minister, Deputy Lawless, to discuss this im…
154. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for an update on the progress in providing third level courses through the medium of Irish across the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34976/26]
The Minister will have to excuse me. Táim ag foghlaim Gaeilge anois. Níor thuig mé gach rud a dúirt an tAire. I welcome any progress made on this issue. My son went through bunscoil and Gaelcholáiste and when he went on to college, there were certain words and phrases he struggled to understand, particularly in science. The Government has set a target that 20% of new recruits to the public service will be able to con…
In a recent submission to the committee on further and higher education, Conradh na Gaeilge called for at least 5% of third level courses to be available through the medium of Irish. Does the Department have any plans to have this? The Irish language is enjoying a cultural revolution, particularly through the music scene. An awful lot of young people now want to take up the language, to learn the language and to cont…
The cost-of-living crisis is putting significant pressure on workers and families. Bills are rising, rents are soaring and wages are simply not keeping pace. While employment figures are often hailed as good news, they only tell part of the story, because behind those headline numbers is a reality this Government refuses to face. One quarter of jobs in Ireland are considered poor quality, characterised by low pay, in…
I recently sent the Taoiseach a parliamentary question which he declined to answer. The question was to him and was about the decision-making process behind the recent announcement of a 200-bed hospital unit in Raheen, Limerick, which is option B, part of the HIQA recommendations. People in Clare are asking, when were the Taoiseach and the Cabinet made aware of this? It seems some of his own TDs and Senators in the l…
But I was asking the Taoiseach, not-----
I am not against it. It is positive for Limerick but-----
I thank my colleague, Deputy Cullinane, for bringing this motion forward. He has been very vocal on these issues, which hit nearly every home in the State.
I was personally affected by cancer when my partner at the time, Noel, was very ill. For 18 months, Noel lost a lot of weight and was in a lot of pain. He could barely hold himself up. Noel was yellow. His skin was yellow. His eyes were yellow. He was a bag of bo…
This month marks eight years since the Tánaiste promised that no child would wait longer than four months for spinal surgery. It has been eight years since children and families were given hope, yet children are still left today in desperate, painful, terrible situations. Why? Because it was another promise broken.
This is not just about statistics. This is about children growing in pain, families living in fear for…
There was a recent announcement of funding for roads in County Clare. An amount of €2.5 million has been allocated for the Drumeen to Darragh section of the N68. It is stated that this is for pavements. Yet, after a back-and-forth, the senior engineer in Clare County Council has stated that it is for resurfacing works on the road in question. A local campaign group has been calling for safety measures on this road. A…