What we have had tonight from the Government is a display of gaslighting par excellence. It is incredible and really cynical, because the audience is not the children who are affected. It is not the parents in the Gallery because the Minister of State knows they know that a school place does not necessarily equal a school place. The audience is the public who are concerned and think it is horrifying that there are ch…
TDs / Paul Murphy
Paul Murphy
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
1,527
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
205,529
words spoken in the chamber
Across 1,276 contributions
383
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
314
topics asked about
Across 20 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 1,527 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 1,276 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 2 |
| January 2025 | 78 | 10 |
| February 2025 | 138 | 69 |
| March 2025 | 120 | 75 |
| April 2025 | 115 | 100 |
| May 2025 | 97 | 97 |
| June 2025 | 88 | 70 |
| July 2025 | 92 | 52 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 66 | 60 |
| October 2025 | 50 | 82 |
| November 2025 | 84 | 73 |
| December 2025 | 59 | 79 |
| January 2026 | 94 | 61 |
| February 2026 | 71 | 78 |
| March 2026 | 49 | 41 |
| April 2026 | 76 | 45 |
| May 2026 | 50 | 40 |
| June 2026 | 58 | 95 |
| July 2026 | 67 | 59 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 1 |
| September 2026 | 30 | 23 |
| October 2026 | 45 | 64 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 977 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 Dublin South-West 29 November 2024 to now
- party People Before Profit-Solidarity 29 November 2024 to now
I join in the thanks to the many workers who make this place tick. I raise the case of the 35-year-old Irish father of three who was held by the US authorities for 100 days. He overstayed his ESTA visa by three days because of a medical condition. He was then taken by ICE and held for two months before being transferred into the regular prison system. The story is horrendous and horrifying. He was freezing on many oc…
I thank Deputy Stanley for bringing forward this motion. It is striking that oral health is not much discussed in this House. This reflects a neglect that exists within our State whereby we know that oral health is so important for overall health and well-being but it is neglected and seriously under-resourced in our public health system. If your teeth and gums are healthy, you are less likely to suffer from heart di…
Developers will.
It is the final week of Dáil sittings before the summer recess. When we return, the schools will already have started. The Minister for education previously stated that it was her intention that every child needing special education would have a place come September. Will that commitment be met or will children be left without appropriate school places?
Over the course of the past year, parents of children with addi…
To go back to the 260, will they get offers of school places or will they be forced to turn up outside the Dáil before we come back?
I appreciate that huge efforts have been made by those in the NCSE, people working in schools and, above all, parents. However, what is happening is not acceptable. This is the last Leaders' Questions the Taoiseach is going to face. He cannot back up the commitment by the Minister for education that every child needing special education will have a place come September. He is sending out the message that we have made…
The Taoiseach might expand on that because the parents I am talking to have to leave their kids in preschool, if the preschool will allow them to do that. In some cases, that is going to be a real problem. In other cases, they are going to have to stay at home - some will not be able to do college courses they were planning to do - in order to mind their children. Can the Taoiseach tell us how many children are going…
That is simply not acceptable.
Let us have a debate on that so we can hear it.
We heard this morning from the Government that we are facing an era of restraint - austerity, in other words. We had two pre-election budgets with once-off payments and now, after the election, we have a return to austerity budgets.
That is deeply cynical when the cost-of-living crisis is deepening for ordinary people and when four in ten parents are cutting back on meals so their children have enough to eat. It is austerity for ordinary people, not for the landlords who will see their rents increase even faster or the property developers who will benefit from shrinkflation. We need to debate this in the Dáil instead of allowing the Government t…
8. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [35615/25]
It is very simple: the Department of justice has refused to give the visas needed for children from Palestine to come here and play hurling. That can still be changed. It requires a Government decision to say, "We are going to grant the visas; it is the very least we can do." I urge the Government to act at this late stage. As well as the GAA players being denied entry, we know there have been real issues with medica…
We can take five minutes off the next group.
Yes.
It is coming from doctors.
It was a doctor who contacted me about it.
14. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach to report on his discussions with the new Canadian Prime Minister. [35616/25]
In June, Ursula von der Leyen agreed a new security and defence partnership between the EU and Canada, which is a member of NATO. This will enable Canada to engage in joint weapons procurement with European countries, including Ireland, those who have signed up to ReArm Europe and the so-called safe instrument. Von der Leyen and Canada announced that NATO remains the cornerstone of their defence and that, "Our aim wi…
Nor Moscow nor Tehran nor London. I have been against all of these imperialisms consistently. That was Connolly's position.
We are against it.
We are against CETA, yes.
That has already happened.
It brings in a parallel justice system for corporations.
You only care about corporations.