While I agree that measures have been made into the phase 2, will this not push the backlog back into phases 4 and 6? We have a drop out rate of 3,400. Have they been included in the Minister's figures as well? When that number of people drops out, it shows that it is unfit for purpose.
The apprenticeship system is essential to problems the Government has yet to address. Consider the issue of housing. Skilled appren…
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
How many of those in these figures are actually finishing? There are 3,376 who failed to finish because they are not getting paid enough. The programme for Government states that the Government would "Ensure a skilled labour force by providing practical support for on-the-job training and apprenticeship schemes and consider additional measures". Has that process begun? At what stage is the process and what additional…
5. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans for the contributory fee; if he will maintain the cut in the fee, as has been set out in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14866/25]
Should I ask my question or speak to it?
Yes, that is fine.
The Minister will have to excuse my scepticism. He is bamboozling me with figures on this. The programme for Government commits to continuing to reduce the student contribution fee over the lifetime of the Government. What the Minister is saying here falls far short of the commitment to reduce the fees to zero. There is no timeline for this or detail on the increments. Higher education is a public good and those who …
Free fees worked in secondary schools and has helped Ireland greatly. There are huge issues with the SUSI grant. People who are trying to prove they are separate from their parents in order to get the SUSI grant are not getting it. There is an issue with the way in which SUSI considers people's circumstances. If you were working two years ago, SUSI will look at your income at that time, not at the past year, in which…
3. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to close the funding deficit in the university sector, first identified in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14865/25]
Under the austerity measures introduced after the economic crash, funding to third level institutions was cut. Universities were asked to do more with less money. To make up the funding shortfall, a student contribution was introduced. Austerity is supposedly over and we were promised these cuts would be reversed but this has not happened. What measures does the Minister intend to introduce to close the funding defic…
I welcome that the Minister said he will try his best to get this but this €307 million deficit was first raised in 2016. The Irish Universities Association, IUA, has said it will not fund pay increases. Has this been sorted? That also lends to this deficit. The austerity programme introduced in the State punished ordinary people and bailed out the banks and the bondholders, and it caused increasing hardship for many…
I ask again about the pay increases that are not being funded. That is a big issue and while I welcome increased investment in higher education, there is still that deficit to be filled. More funding does not necessarily mean better outcomes if inefficiencies persist, as students already contribute significantly through fees, so there is a clear need for the Minister to assess the needs of higher education. I acknowl…
Recently, we have seen shocking stories and harrowing accounts of young female students being attacked, abused, followed and harassed. This is a serious and urgent issue. Too many young women live in fear on the streets, in schools, on college campuses and even online. They face catcalling, stalking, spiking and, in the worst cases, assault. It is shameful to think that young women in Ireland, who should be excited t…
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Ó Snodaigh for bringing forward this motion agus also buíochas le conversational Irish classes Gaeilge le Chéile i mBaile na Sionnainne so tá cúpla focal agam anois.
I raise the issues of school recognition and school transport. Gaelcholáiste an Chláir in Ennis has been struggling to be recognised as a stand-alone school rather than being part of Ennis Community College. The Limerick…
Insulin pumps are not available as a treatment option for adults with type 1 diabetes in the HSE mid-west region, even though they are available for children. Ours is the only region where this is the case. Patients who require pumps have to go on the waiting list in other regions and then travel for treatment. This is an extra burden on the host regions' overstretched services and on patients who have to travel for …
I thank our colleague, Deputy Pa Daly, for bringing forward this motion. While I welcome that the Minister will not oppose it and I accept that many tests have been completed, there is no denying that the waiting list is growing. Is the Minister saying he cannot step in and that this is all down to the RSA?
We all know a driving licence is not a luxury; it is essential. Not being able to drive might mean missing out…
I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and congratulate him on his position.
There are no dedicated public inpatient beds for adults with anorexia or other eating disorders in the mid-west region. Nationally, only three public inpatient beds exist for these patients, all of which are located at St. Vincent’s hospital in Dublin, serving local catchment areas. The HSE introduced a national model of care for eating disorder…
While there has been a steady increase in the number of treatment hubs, there is still no funding for new inpatient beds. For people with eating disorders, it is usually for an extended period in an inpatient facility, which can be very difficult for the person. This treatment can be expensive and the process to get a bed can be so long that it means the person ends up needing more care.
The HSE spent more than €4 m…
I wish to discuss the ongoing decline in the dental scheme for medical card holders in County Clare. I have raised this issue time and again. The Irish Dental Association has also raised it and has made repeated calls for the scheme to be overhauled. The association states the scheme does not work either for dentists or patients and that a lot of lip service has been paid to it but nothing is happening.
In November …
I welcome any news that will help to bring about an increase in the service. The key trends documentation for 2024 mentions that spending on health almost doubled between 2014 and 2023, and this is reflected in the enhanced availability of services throughout the country. Why, then, do we see only half the expected number of dentists participating in the scheme? The number is not reflected in the figures. If we incre…
I have been contacted by several parents who are left in a void, having to fight for places in schools for their children with complex needs. Dawn Bennett, one such parent, relocated her family from Limerick to Kilrush in County Clare to find a suitable place in a primary school for her son, Jamie, who has complex needs. Ms Bennett faces the same fight to try to find a place for Jamie in a secondary school. The neare…
As the Minister may be aware, the British and Irish Modern Music Institute is forcing lecturers into yellow-pack contracts. Potentially, 53 staff could be laid off. Workers are not permitted to be represented by their trade union representatives at the 30-day consultation. Given the strong links to Technological University Dublin, we have a moral and legal duty to ensure its partner institution upholds fair employmen…
I am honoured to be here as the first TD from Shannon, County Clare. It would not have been possible if it were not for the people of Clare, my family, party activists and those who have gone before me.
The number of patients on trolleys in University Hospital Limerick continues to consistently be the highest in the State. Last year, more than 6,000 patients left UHL's emergency department before completing treatmen…