I refer to the commitment in the programme for Government to launch a new town and city infrastructure investment fund to replace the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF. Regional towns such as Clonmel cannot access the rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, or the town and village renewal scheme, so this new fund is crucial. Clonmel has a shovel-ready project. Matched funding has been set aside. Ca…
TDs / Michael Murphy
Michael Murphy
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
786
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
23,907
words spoken in the chamber
Across 132 contributions. Plus 4 contributions from the chair, not counted
426
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
167
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 786 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 132 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 1 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 19 | 11 |
| March 2025 | 15 | 1 |
| April 2025 | 12 | 3 |
| May 2025 | 15 | 5 |
| June 2025 | 11 | 2 |
| July 2025 | 9 | 11 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 30 | 3 |
| October 2025 | 24 | 4 |
| November 2025 | 159 | 11 |
| December 2025 | 57 | 10 |
| January 2026 | 93 | 17 |
| February 2026 | 30 | 6 |
| March 2026 | 22 | 5 |
| April 2026 | 96 | 12 |
| May 2026 | 26 | 12 |
| June 2026 | 81 | 5 |
| July 2026 | 22 | 8 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 24 | 5 |
| October 2026 | 40 | 1 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 120 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 Tipperary South 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
I raise the national challenge of vacancy and dereliction in our towns and villages. In my own constituency of Tipperary South we see it clearly.
Towns like Clonmel, Tipperary town and Carrick-on-Suir are three of our key towns and all have prime retail streets with empty or derelict properties. Unfortunately, this is replicated right across the country. These are proud places with strong employment bases, great com…
I thank the Minister for his reply but the reality is that despite these existing schemes vacancy and dereliction remains stubbornly high. Failure to act now will mean that these empty buildings continue to blight our main streets year after year while a housing crisis deepens. I am calling for a specific ring-fenced approach, reform of the existing regulatory and grant system, and a targeted relief that applies wher…
I speak today as a proud voice for Clonmel, a town with a borough charter dating back to 1608 and a place of deep history and extraordinary community spirit. Clonmel has felt the loss of its borough council profoundly since its abolition in 2014. Decision-making drifted from the people. Civic pride diminished. The unique identity of our town, forged over centuries, was quietly eroded. Does the Tánaiste agree that the…
I mentioned that there were five borough councils, one of which is Kilkenny.
93. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht whether he intends to provide additional funding in 2025 for the local improvement scheme, LIS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36845/25]
As I am sure the Minister will agree, the local improvement scheme, LIS, and the community involvement scheme are two critical supports at local level that are vital to the fabric and function of rural Ireland. Are there plans to provide any additional funding before the end of this year?
Across south Tipperary, the condition of local and minor roads has reached breaking point. We are not talking about potholes or surface cracks; we are talking about roads that are effectively impassible and where families struggle to reach schools, farmers cannot move machinery safely and emergency services think twice before making a journey. As the Minister knows, both schemes provide essential upgrade to non-counc…
While I welcome the increases in recent years, let us be honest. They are not nearly sufficient to address the scale and demand for the schemes. We need to double existing funding for the LIS and CIS schemes so that counties like Tipperary, in particular south Tipperary, gets its fair and equitable share.
I also welcome our wonderful visitors from Tipperary. The decision by the ETB to cut vital local training initiative programmes across Tipperary should be urgently reversed given the critical role played by these programmes in our communities. I refer in particular to those delivered at the Spafield Family Resource Centre in Cashel, the Knockanrawley Resource Centre in Tipperary Town, the Littleton community programm…
I agree with Deputy McGrath. This decision by the ETB to cut vital local training initiative programmes across Tipperary should be urgently reversed. I acknowledge the critical role played by these programmes in our communities, particularly those delivered at the Spafield Family Resource Centre in Cashel, the Knockanrawley Resource Centre in Tipperary town, the Littleton community programme and the Cahir Development…
We need to be very honest here. One of the reasons we find ourselves in this position is that while the most recent national wage agreement included a 3.5% increase, only 2% of the funding was provided by the Government. The other 1.5% must be absorbed from the existing budget.
I ask the Minister of State to urgently rethink this decision and to engage with the ETB in Tipperary. I spoke to some of those students who…
I will be sharing time with Deputy Mattie McGrath.
I want to speak about a reply I received from Tusla to a parliamentary question I asked of the Minister regarding the future of the swimming pool on the Ferryhouse campus, just outside Clonmel. The reply stated that unfortunately, due to significant mechanical and electrical issues identified, Tusla deemed the pool at the end of its life and unsafe to use. The decis…
I have to ask where the report is. There has been no engagement with local stakeholders. This is the reality of the situation. I fully accept Tusla's core competencies in respect of looking after children, but is there a greater gift to give to a child than the opportunity to learn how to swim? The wonderful thing about most activities in the water is that in many cases mobility issues as a result of a disability are…
Forty per cent of the post office network will potentially close unless Government funding is increased. Increasing this funding to €15 million annually over five years will ensure the viability of many of the 845 post offices nationwide, more than 500 of which are in areas without any financial institution. I acknowledge the extraordinary work of our postmasters and postmistresses around the country, in particular t…
The decision by Tipperary County Council, announced yesterday, to not contest the judicial review of the Dundrum House section 5 declaration substantiates my genuine concerns around the IPAS contract for this site that was given to a proxy company that was only incorporated in January. The ownership of this site is still being contested in the High Court. I fully accept and recognise the Government's obligations to i…
Ballyporeen national school in County Tipperary was sanctioned by the National Council for Special Education for a special class on 3 March. On 15 May, the NCSE withdrew this sanction because of rent implications linked to the building being provided for the class. This building is ready for use. It is on the school grounds and is owned by the local community council, a not-for-profit organisation. Everyone associate…
I am deeply proud of my home town of Clonmel. It has a great history, a great location, strong levels of employment and extraordinary community spirit. However, our town centre - the historic core of Clonmel - continues to suffer from high vacancy rates and, more worryingly, increased dereliction. We have a shovel-ready plan to transform the prime retail area and reimagine the public realm. We have set aside the matc…
I acknowledge the extraordinary Cara Darmody. She is such an amazing campaigner and advocate for her brothers, Neil and John, but also in particular for all young children awaiting an assessment of need across the country. I also mention Cara's dad Mark and her mum Noelle. They are both amazing parents and carers to Neil and John.
Living so close to Cara and the Darmody family, I have engaged with her, especially ov…
Since I first entered this Chamber, the extension of Scoil Aonghusa Special School, Cashel, has been a key priority for me. The current situation has enormous implications for the 150 students with complex special needs who attend this centre of educational excellence. Approval by the Minister of a 14-classroom modular extension and ancillary facilities, announced in this Chamber on 27 February in response to a parli…
Recently published data reflecting a consistent increase in waiting times for driving tests is deeply concerning. I welcome the Minister of State's opening statement and thank him. This has been a focus for him since his appointment and, as Chair of the Oireachtas committee on transport, I look forward to working with him.
The RSA's target of a ten-week average waiting time is not being met. One year ago, it was 15 …
Serious questions surround an IPAS contract recently signed with Dundrum House Hotel, putting 277 IPAS applicants into a village with a population of only 200. There are four real concerns. First, there are ownership disputes currently before the High Court. Second, the contract was signed with a company that was only incorporated in January this year and has no Irish shareholders or directors. Third, the section 5 i…
Yes, and to the PAC.
It is important that we maximise the impact of our Presidency of the European Union next year. It is such an important event for Ireland. Perhaps the Taoiseach will provide an update on the preplanning of our Presidency. Have there been any discussions of key priorities for our Presidency, having regard to the timing of the Presidency? It will include the next round of discussions on the multi-annual financial framew…
The lack of HSE ophthalmology services across south Tipperary is deeply concerning and is a growing source of frustration. This follows the planned retirement of a consultant ophthalmologist in August of last year. In correspondence that I received from the HSE on 14 January, it was confirmed that the post has been approved and is currently in the recruitment process. I appeal to the Government to intervene directly.…