Our post office network is absolutely vital, particularly in rural communities. I come from the constituency of Offaly, a rural county, and the post office network is vital. What we are seeing is that there are not enough incentives for people to take on post offices. I saw that in my own community where a post office was lost because there were not enough incentives for a person to take it on. A person would have to…
TDs / Carol Nolan
Carol Nolan
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
1,635
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
52,708
words spoken in the chamber
Across 165 contributions
317
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
323
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 1,635 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 165 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 31 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 111 | 8 |
| March 2025 | 51 | 7 |
| April 2025 | 39 | 9 |
| May 2025 | 76 | 15 |
| June 2025 | 34 | 15 |
| July 2025 | 50 | 6 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 53 | 8 |
| October 2025 | 100 | 10 |
| November 2025 | 75 | 11 |
| December 2025 | 35 | 7 |
| January 2026 | 80 | 8 |
| February 2026 | 213 | 9 |
| March 2026 | 35 | 4 |
| April 2026 | 109 | 9 |
| May 2026 | 212 | 13 |
| June 2026 | 108 | 7 |
| July 2026 | 58 | 5 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 55 | 10 |
| October 2026 | 110 | 4 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 59 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 Offaly 29 November 2024 to now
- party Independent 29 November 2024 to now
I have raised the issue of scoliosis since at least April 2017, when I initially submitted parliamentary questions to the then Minister for Health and now Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Harris. At that time, I asked for details of the current waiting lists for children with scoliosis, the number of children on the waiting list for treatment and the steps that the then Minister was taking to ensure scoliosis patients received…
As the Minister is aware, data from the latest homeless quarterly progress report on the scale of homelessness clearly shows there were 16,734 individuals accessing emergency accommodation at the end of quarter 4 of 2025. This was an increase of 120 individuals on the position at the end of quarter 3 of 2025. There was an increase of 1,870 on the total recorded at the end of quarter 4 of 2024. There were 2,478 famili…
Whatever a Government may say and whatever it may have done in the past few days to try to stem the tide of parental fury on this issue, there is no disputing the key point put forward in this motion, namely, that this fiasco has inflicted profound distress and anxiety on vulnerable children through a rigid, clinical and deeply flawed interpretation of care needs criteria. We all welcomed the announcement that there …
142. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide an update on the work of the national energy affordability task force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14498/26]
Will the Minister provide an update on the work of the national energy affordability task force? The Irish SME Association, ISME, has published the results of its latest members' survey, identifying the priority issues facing SMEs this year and showing that business costs overwhelmingly dominate their concerns. Some 78% of respondents said that these concerns include energy and other overheads, all of which ISME righ…
I thank the Minister for his response. The fact is that, while some supports were given to small businesses and consumers in general, to date, very little has been achieved in tackling the source of the great energy price rip-off that continues day in and day out for households and small businesses, many of which in my constituency have closed due to energy costs. The capacity to absorb these energy costs is just not…
The Minister mentioned tax credits. While the energy tax credits were welcome, they let the energy companies off the hook. I called for the energy companies to be brought in here a number of times. The profiteering was scandalous. We were seeing businesses really grappling with costs. A long-term solution is needed. I hope this task force will produce proper practical solutions to get to grips with this issue once an…
I call on the Government to urgently enforce the existing ban on sulky racing on public roads in light of the horrific cruelty and the dangers it poses to both the animals and the public. Just this month in Ballyfermot, a pregnant horse named Anne collapsed during an illegal sulky race, suffering severe cuts, blood loss and suspected broken bones. Despite the heroic efforts of My Lovely Horse Rescue and the UCD veter…
There are very serious and valid concerns regarding the amendment to the residential tenancies legislation and the impact, particularly on private property rights and small-scale property owners or landlords. I have met many of these small-scale property owners in my offices in Birr and Tullamore and they are telling me quite clearly that are leaving the rental market. I have also met tenants who have received a noti…
I welcome the farmers from all over the country who are here for this debate. I particularly welcome those from the Offaly branch of the IFA.
No amount of verbal or procedural gymnastics that the Government engages in can hide the plain fact of the matter, namely that there is an open, glaring and festering contradiction at the heart of this dispute. There is hypocrisy and there are double standards. Irish farmers a…
The way immigration and bogus asylum seekers have been manged to date is nothing short of a social and economic catastrophe. I am utterly convinced this issue will come to define previous governments. Warning after warning was dismissed and was reframed. Warning after warning that the State was effectively being ripped off were ignored with the excuse that we were in an emergency and therefore proper controls did not…
For many years, we have seen reports of people in rural Ireland living in absolute fear due to an upsurge in trespassing on farmland by roaming gangs and those who are indifferent to private property rights. Every year, public meetings are held by farming organisations and every year, farmers and community members say the powers at the disposal of An Garda Síochána and landowners alike are deeply insufficient to addr…
I commend my PA, David Mullins, and the OPLA, which was very helpful and encouraged me to bring forward the Bill I mentioned. That Bill is available as a template if the Government wishes to use it. I will play my part and I am happy to work with every party and none.
I thank the Tánaiste for his response and the co-operation, which we need urgently. While there is legislation in place, farmers and gardaí are telling me that it is insufficient because it is not giving them enough power. That is where we need to toughen those laws, which I know the Tánaiste is happy to do. He acknowledged that and it is certainly welcome.
However, there is another issue where the current legislati…
The long waiting times being experienced by people waiting to see someone in the pain management clinic in the Mater hospital in Dublin are very concerning. I am dealing with quite a number of people currently who are waiting for an appointment. They informed me that it will be about ten or 12 months before they are seen at the Mater hospital. This is impacting on their health, well-being and quality of life. What ac…
I welcome the Bill because there is an urgent need for the Government to prioritise the enactment of legislation aimed at setting out a registration framework for providers of home support services. I want to reference in particular those sections of the Bill under which the chief inspector of social services at HIQA will have responsibility for establishing and maintaining a register for home support services operat…
Uisce Éireann Infrastructure Delivery, Accountability and Repair Timelines: Motion [Private Members]
The motion this morning from Independent Ireland raises valid concerns about Ireland's water and wastewater infrastructure, reflecting ongoing challenges in a system that has historically suffered from underinvestment and ageing assets. Certainly, it is the case that persistent delays block housing, public health, economy and compliance, as the motion notes. I acknowledge also that the proposed measures that are put …
I have continually opposed the Mercosur agreement. I should call it a deal because it should not be an agreement. I want to ask who the Government serves. Does it serve its EU masters and try to be the best boys and girls in the class out there or does it serve Irish farmers, who have worked so hard and tirelessly to contribute to our economy? Whose interests does the Government serve? I am so concerned that it is wi…
Page 67 in the programme for Government makes reference to the Government's commitment to investing in school buildings and certainly that is welcome. However, there are serious issues in my own constituency of County Offaly. We have a fantastic school, St. Brendan's Community School, in Birr which was approved for works back in 2018.
Those works entailed an ASD classroom, an extension and other minor works to the s…
203. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the steps he is taking to address concerns relating to student accommodation and affordability; if he is aware that these concerns are driving regional disparities and increasing commuting burdens and costs for rural students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67669/25]
My question relates to the ongoing shortage of student accommodation across the country. Every year, the problem gets worse. In my constituency, I am contacted by huge numbers of students who cannot source accommodation in Galway, Dublin or Limerick. Unfortunately, the evidence available to us each September demonstrates that the situation is deteriorating rather than improving. What measures will be taken by the Gov…
I thank the Minister for his response. While I certainly acknowledge that there have been some incentives, supports and improvements, the SUSI grant has unfortunately not been adjusted in line with the cost of living or the costs of student accommodation. We have seen over the past five years how rents in urban centres and many regional towns have risen at rates far exceeding inflation or wage growth.
In regard to t…
I acknowledge that there have been some improvements but again, it is just not enough. We need to be, as I said, far more ambitious and deliver more student accommodation. I want to point out that my concerns relate to the fact that when a young person from a rural background concludes that third level education is financially or logistically unfeasible, the loss extends far beyond the individual. Society is deprived…
For many people, the energy price crisis reflects a Government paralysed by inertia that is only now slowly turning away from the madness of the Green Party era when the tail wagged the dog and energy independence in the form of LNG or oil and gas exploration was considered almost a heresy. I acknowledge that things are turning in the right direction and the storage facility will now proceed but the problem is that i…