It is important to be absolutely clear that a wind farm is no small undertaking. These are vast developments that have an enormous impact on communities and the local environment from the moment construction begins throughout their entire lifetime up to the day they are decommissioned. It is beyond me that for projects of this scale we have no up-to-date regulations or guidelines. Frankly speaking, it is an insult to…
TDs / Natasha Newsome Drennan
Natasha Newsome Drennan
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
145
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
43,044
words spoken in the chamber
Across 172 contributions
439
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
67
topics asked about
Across 15 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 145 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 172 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 6 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 8 | 8 |
| March 2025 | 7 | 4 |
| April 2025 | 10 | 10 |
| May 2025 | 7 | 8 |
| June 2025 | 11 | 4 |
| July 2025 | 8 | 12 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 1 | 5 |
| October 2025 | 4 | 10 |
| November 2025 | 12 | 11 |
| December 2025 | 2 | 7 |
| January 2026 | 3 | 6 |
| February 2026 | 3 | 13 |
| March 2026 | 12 | 15 |
| April 2026 | 10 | 10 |
| May 2026 | 12 | 18 |
| June 2026 | 18 | 5 |
| July 2026 | 9 | 11 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 0 | 8 |
| October 2026 | 2 | 7 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 60 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 Carlow-Kilkenny 29 November 2024 to now
- party Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
Every year, this item comes before the Dáil and, too often, it presents as a black and white issue. As someone who grew up surrounded by greyhounds, was then involved in the thoroughbred sector for over 30 years and worked on stud farms across Ireland and England, I can tell you it is anything but. Animal welfare is an issue that is rightly raised. For the vast majority of us, these animals are treated as an extensio…
I want to raise with the Minister the urgent case of Roxanne. She is suffering with a range of complex medical issues, including the onset of scoliosis. Over 2024 and 2025, Roxanne has undergone three operations at a cost of nearly €200,000, all of which has been paid for by family-run fundraisers. I ask that the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health urgently review Roxanne's case and assist this beautiful little gir…
I welcome everyone in the Visitors Gallery and say to them that their voice matters. I strongly welcome this motion and opportunity to speak on this critical issue. I thank my colleagues Deputy Matt Carthy and Senator Maria McCormack for all the work they have done on this Bill. The Victims of Sexual Violence Civil Protection Orders Bill 2025 is a small but profoundly important step. Across Carlow and Kilkenny, organ…
85. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the current regulation on the installation of wind farms were updated; when the current regulations are due to be updated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59353/25]
I have looked over the reporting on the recent European Council meeting. While the situation in Gaza was touched upon, it is striking how lightly it was addressed. The Council reiterated its opposition to settlement expansion and Israel's military operations, but where is the action? Why does the European Union continue with business as usual, trading with a state that operates a system of apartheid?
Let us be clear…
I express my deep condolences to the family of a Waterford man who tragically lost his life in a farming incident this week. It is a stark reminder that farming remains one of the most dangerous occupations in Ireland. I welcome the people in the Public Gallery who represent different farming organisations.
I commend my colleague, Deputy Martin Kenny, and the wider Sinn Féin team on their work on this motion. Most i…
It is a pity your brother is not here.
I strongly welcome this motion. Let me be perfectly clear; the vast majority of families and workers in counties Carlow and Kilkenny cannot get through their day without a car. This is not a lifestyle choice. It is the direct result of policy failure by consecutive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments. The Government has failed to provide public transport that is either viable or effective and it has failed to put i…
As the Minister is probably aware, an outbreak of bird flu has been confirmed in a commercial turkey flock in County Carlow. This flock of about 500 birds will have to be euthanised. We need to see adequate compensation packages for farmers affected and biosecurity measures must be stepped up. As a preventative, I am calling for a housing order to be implemented as we know wild birds play a huge role in spreading avi…
I support the intent of this Bill but it cannot be pushed through without the necessary safeguards. People in counties Kilkenny and Carlow are paying a heavy price for the consecutive failures of the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, and his colleagues to invest in our energy infrastructure. It is an issue my constituents continually contact me about. There is a question I would love to see answered. Is your top prio…
When we read the stark figures on men's health in Ireland, they should be ringing alarm bells across the Government. The statistics we have are not just numbers; they are a national crisis. Every one of those numbers represents a family member, friend or loved one. Let us be clear about the reality facing men in Ireland. Men account for four in every five suicide deaths in Ireland. Men are 34% more likely to die from…
Just recently, the IFA and the Irish Grain Growers, among others, were invited in to the agriculture committee to tell us what we already knew, namely, that the tillage industry is on its knees. We heard of the struggles facing the tillage sector. I listened to the Minister’s own colleagues call out for support for farmers struggling in every sense of the word. Members from all sides of the House were united and spok…
I commend my colleagues on their work on this motion. Most importantly, I pay tribute to the various disability advocacy groups for their invaluable assistance.
I worked as a carer for people with disabilities for 18 years in south Kilkenny. The most consistent thing I encountered over those years was that people with a disability want to live as independently as possible. The harsh reality is that the actions of th…
That would be too much work for them.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The targets for mammograms in 2023 and 2024 were missed by nearly 80,000. On KCLR recently, I listened to so many women across Carlow and Kilkenny telling their stories. One woman told of her experience after being referred for a scan by her GP because of a lump on her breast. She said months went by without a single word from the hospital. She contacted the hospital only to …
Not on the people working.
But not next year. Not when they need it.
For years, the struggles faced by family carers have been raised here in the Dáil and in communities across Ireland. Family Carers Ireland has told us clearly that carers' situation needs to be treated like a house on fire. Budget 2026 was the Government's chance to take on that fire. Instead, this Government has arrived with little more than a water pistol. Last week in the Dáil, TD after TD from all sides of the Ho…
I strongly welcome and support this motion. I worked as a carer for people with disabilities for 18 years. I have witnessed first-hand the invaluable work carried out by thousands of other carers across this country and I can say this: I, along with the carers who I worked with over those years, am sick and tired of hearing the Minister and his colleagues singing their praises in this Chamber. Enough of the empty wor…
Every community in Ireland knows the value of sport. It is essential for our physical health, our mental well-being and strengthening community cohesion. Countless reports show the enormous social and health returns on every euro invested in sport. While the Minister of State and his colleagues are quick to jump on the bandwagon and praise the success of our athletes, they do so with empty words. The reality is that …
You think it is a laughing matter that you spent that much money on it?
It is not funny.
I thank my Sinn Féin colleagues for bringing forward this important motion on the cost of insurance.
The record is clear. Time and again, the Minister of State and his colleagues in government show clearly which side they stand on. They have consistently blocked, stalled and delayed reforms that would lower the cost of car insurance. As a result, they have ensured that insurance companies are given free rein to flee…
We all know when our local school term begins. It is not a surprise. It is the most predictable event in our calendar yet despite all this notice, parents across Kilkenny and Carlow are left to face the same entirely preventable crisis in school transport. Year after year, the routes and student numbers remain largely consistent. This is not a complex, unforeseen challenge, but a basic function of the Department, yet…