Last night, I attended a meeting of well over 1,000 people. They were SNAs, parents and students. I listened to heartbreaking stories of fear and anxiety but I also heard stories of hope, of children who flourished, found their voice, were full of confidence because they had the support of a special needs assistant by their side. Today, after a brutal decision to cut SNAs, the Minister comes in here talking about no …
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
Bad tone.
I thank my colleague, Deputy Doherty, for tabling the motion. The housing crisis continues to deepen for ordinary workers, families and children. We have children growing up in emergency accommodation and in overcrowded homes while their parents are being outbid for homes by vulture funds. Despite repeated promises to address this issue, the Government continues to allow this practice, meaning those struggling to buy…
As soon as I read the Bill, I knew straight away, going by the data, that students would be badly affected by this. The Bill will have profound and deeply damaging consequences for students and we must call this for what it is: another failure of this Government's broken housing policy. Students are at the very heart of this housing crisis. Young people trying to make their lives better are having their dreams of edu…
I thank Deputies Devine and Carthy for this very important and timely Bill. Speedy action on this is required now; not next year, not after another review, but now. During the period from 29 December 2025 through to 9 January 2026, Grok is estimated to have generated approximately 3 million sexualised images, including 23,000 that appear to depict children. Let us be absolutely clear on this, these are children. The …
Under this Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, students will be among the hardest hit. At a time when students are already being pushed to the pin of their collar and students’ unions are having to set up food banks, the Government is choosing to turn its back on them once again with this Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael, rip-off rent hike Bill. Under these proposals, student-specific accommodation rents can …
The Bord Bia quality and trust mark is something I trust and look for as a consumer. It means something to people. It tells us that what we are eating is safe, meets the highest standards and comes from our land. The fact that I can trace what I am eating back to a farmer or field in Ireland is reassuring and something I value deeply, not just because you are what you eat, but because it allows me to know I am contri…
82. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when the student accommodation strategy will be released, and whether it will contain proposals to allow the providers of private student accommodation to hike rents more often than for those in purpose-built student accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7343/26]
When will the student accommodation strategy be released? Will it contain proposals to allow the providers of private student accommodation to hike rents more often than those in purpose-built student accommodation?
On 6 February 2025, the Minister announced that a new student accommodation strategy was in development, which would be completed in 2025. We were then told that the much-awaited strategy would be delivered in quarter 4 of 2025. We are now in 2026. While we are told the strategy will be published in the coming weeks, we still do not have a definitive date and the gap between strategies is growing further apart.
From…
As I said, it is welcome that the rent hikes will be attached to the property rather than the tenants but the Minister is talking in the context of purpose-built student accommodation. What about those in private accommodation such as digs and private homes? Will they get any protection? We know housing is one of the biggest costs in a student's life, and the majority of students are in the private rental market. Whi…
84. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of applicants who applied for SUSI grants in each of the years between 2020 and 2025; the number that were unsuccessful in their applications; the measures he will enact to the appeals process to maximise the number of applicants who are successful; and if he will make a statement on the matter…
Why do SUSI grants show a steady yearly rate of difference between funds awarded and funds paid? Given the consistent numbers being refused SUSI grants annually - with the largest number of refusals being on the grounds of insufficient documentation to confirm eligibility - will the Minister introduce reforms to reduce the rate of refusal?
In 2023 and 2024, approximately 22% were unsuccessful. In the subsequent academic year, the figure was 21%. There seems to be a percentage that is common across the years. I am given to understand that SUSI is a demand-based scheme. In other words, whatever moneys are not spent are handed back. Is there a cap on the number of SUSI grants that can be paid out or is the fund indefinite in nature?
While I welcome the y…
I have the figures in front of me. A total of 4,924 applicants were refused because they were over the income threshold. However, the means test applies to the previous year and does not take into account things like job losses, although I am aware that there is a fund for people to whom that happens. One of the main reasons for refusal is insufficient documentation to confirm eligibility. Within that, many applicant…
I thank the Social Democrats for this motion. Constituents and disability support groups across County Clare have been contacting me. They are shocked and deeply disappointed that this Government is refusing to call for an emergency winter payment for people with disabilities. They cannot understand how money can be found for developers and for those who are already flush, yet people with disabilities have to make th…
That is what they have to do.
I commend Teachta Sorca Clarke on this very important motion. We urgently need fundamental reform of the State’s emergency mental health services. The failure is being felt in Clare and the mid-west.
Let me tell a personal story. A few years ago, my nephew was found hanging but we were extremely fortunate that he was still alive. He was taken down and brought by ambulance to a hospital but, because it was at the tim…
140. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport when the sports capital programme will be open again for applications; the other funding streams available for sports facilities, including those in schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4101/26]
This Bill represents a piecemeal approach from this Government. It is the third Bill in three years, with another one on the way. That tells its own story. Instead of this Government using forward thinking and having a modern, comprehensive approach, we are left reacting, catching up and legislating bit by bit. Sinn Féin has sought a ban on single-use vapes for years. They are highly wasteful and damaging to the envi…
I attended the protest in Athlone on Saturday. It was a very powerful demonstration and reflection of what the people think of this deal. People travelled from all across Ireland to be there. It was a clear message that this deal will impact everyone, urban and rural alike, particularly when it comes to food safety, food security and fairness. The day before the deal was agreed, the Government claimed that it was vot…
When the story first broke about the blister packs, my office was inundated with calls. People contacted me not only asking why but expressing their disgust and anger and a deep sense that once again the most vulnerable in our society are being left behind, forgotten and treated as an afterthought by this Government. Whatever way they get their blister packs, it is not their fault that they were getting them for free…
We talk about the bike shed and the security hut as examples of taxpayers' money being wasted, but I would not call this a waste of money. It is a lifesaving device. What we are seeing here is all too familiar. The most vulnerable people in Clare and across the State are being given a small rise on one hand, only to have to have it taken straight back on the other. That is not progress. It is not fair. It certainly i…
199. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the steps his Department is taking to develop and reform the placement and allocation system for apprentices, ensuring that these are reasonably within a commutable area close to where they live; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67911/25]
One of the biggest issues for apprentices is placements for educational training. While there is an option to swap placements, sometimes there is not enough time to do this or to find someone to swap with. Apprentices have no idea where they will be placed, causing huge stress as they will need to budget for this added expense. Furthermore, the accommodation allowance for this is only €70 per week. Does the Minister …