It does not have enough powers.
TDs / Cian O'Callaghan
Cian O'Callaghan
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
896
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
123,606
words spoken in the chamber
Across 642 contributions
422
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
255
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 896 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 642 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 2 |
| January 2025 | 51 | 4 |
| February 2025 | 41 | 47 |
| March 2025 | 44 | 42 |
| April 2025 | 64 | 38 |
| May 2025 | 39 | 40 |
| June 2025 | 55 | 33 |
| July 2025 | 47 | 51 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 38 | 6 |
| October 2025 | 16 | 52 |
| November 2025 | 41 | 57 |
| December 2025 | 29 | 19 |
| January 2026 | 42 | 24 |
| February 2026 | 46 | 35 |
| March 2026 | 41 | 23 |
| April 2026 | 58 | 24 |
| May 2026 | 80 | 47 |
| June 2026 | 31 | 40 |
| July 2026 | 44 | 12 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 2 |
| September 2026 | 41 | 21 |
| October 2026 | 48 | 23 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 510 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 Bay North 29 November 2024 to now
- party Social Democrats 29 November 2024 to now
Does it have enough powers?
Does it have the powers to do its job?
16. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will next meet. [32570/25]
I extend our sympathies to all the family and colleagues of Brother Kevin Crowley. He is someone who gave his life to serve others.
The Minister did not tell people during the general election campaign that a vote for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael would be a vote to increase college fees. The Minister has been asked twice about this issue. I will ask him a third time. What fees will students have to pay in September? Wi…
There is now complete disarray and open revolt in the Government over student fees. Last night, the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, announced he was not happy about this mess. He said he signed up to a programme for Government that clearly promised to reduce fees. He described the threat to increase them by €1,000 as a scud missile nobody was expecting. Can the Minister stop the pretence that what is goi…
We have heard enough bluster on this issue. The Government made a commitment in writing, in black and white, to reduce student fees. Will the Government uphold that commitment?
Will the Minister answer the question concerning what fees will be in September?
What will fees be in September? Will they be €2,000 or €3,000? This is the fourth time the Minister has been asked that question so could he give a direct answer to that question? What will students and their families be hit with in September? Can the Minister answer that question? In terms of dismissing things, it seems as if this Government is dismissing what it promised students and their families it would do in t…
During the election campaign, Fianna Fáil and its coalition partners, Fine Gael, promised to phase out student fees. That is what they promised in their manifesto. The programme for Government promised to reduce student fees. The Government is now breaking the promises it made and is saying the reason it is doing this is because of economic uncertainty. I do take economic uncertainty and risks very seriously. The Soc…
Did the Minister only discover the economic risks and threats posed by the Trump Administration after the election in Ireland took place? That is a very serious question. To justify breaking promises on the basis of the threats posed by the Trump Administration, when it was already in place and we knew that Administration posed huge threats to our economy by the time of our election, and then use that as an excuse fo…
I move amendment No. 3:
In page 3, between lines 23 and 24, to insert the following:
“Report into differential rates for owners of multiple properties
3. The Minister shall within six months from the passing of this Act prepare and lay before Dáil Eireann a report on the potential introduction of differential rates of local property tax on residential properties under this Act and the Principal Act where such prop…
I thank the Minister for explaining to me the difference between a parliamentary question and an amendment to legislation. I understand the difference but I thank him very much for his generous explanation.
This amendment is not a parliamentary question. I am not solely seeking the information the Minister outlined. I am seeking a report on the potential introduction of rate changes in line with the recommendation f…
I thank the Minister for being helpful. I assure him that there was absolutely nothing in his tone that caused any offence whatsoever. I am very grateful for the clarification. I am also grateful to the Minister for being very helpful in making my case for me in his response. The exact point that he has made is that there is less volatility in taxation on fixed property than in other forms of taxation or income strea…
I thank the Minister for getting to his feet to make arguments to support what I am putting forward for a second time. I thank him very much for that. Will he now accept the amendment?
I move amendment No. 5:
In page 4, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following:
“Insertion of new section 10E into Act of 2012
5. The Act of 2012 is amended by the insertion of the following new section after section 10D:
“10E. A residential property that is in an area that has yet to be taken in charge by a local authority shall have a 50 per cent reduction applied to its local property tax liability.”.”.
…
I thank the Minister for his response. I get the overall rationale in terms of not wanting to have an endless list of exemptions because, of course, that would undermine this funding stream. I am not looking for an exemption. What this amendment proposes is a 50% reduction, in the full acknowledgment that in an area where an estate or a development has been built and is not yet taken in charge there is absolutely a b…
A key function of the local property tax is not simply to collect revenue, but to fund local services. That has been clear from the outset. If the point is to fund local services but people do not get those services where they live because the local authority has not taken their area in charge, then of course there is a strong rationale for the way the local property tax is designed to reflect that. The intention of …
That would be telling. People move in and think it might be a year or two. There is a lot of frustration at local meetings in my constituency that I have attended. People moved in when they had no children and their children are now getting to the stage where they will be moving out soon and there has been no progress. This has to be tackled.
I, too, welcome the Little Blue Heroes and the gardaí and commend everyone involved in that.
Listening to the Taoiseach's answers, I wonder if he gets it at all. He was presented with the stark reality people face in terms of grocery prices and he rattled off a list of numbers and inflation rates rather than acknowledging the real difficulties people are facing when they do their weekly shop. I do not know if the Ta…
Well, if the Taoiseach were listening, the question was whether is he going to act-----
-----to ensure all supermarket chains have to declare their profits in full detail.
The Taoiseach did rattle off a range of figures about inflation but did not acknowledge the real hardship people face in terms of grocery prices. I ask him to acknowledge that. Last week, his Government took the decision to lift the pay caps for senior high-paid bankers. Newspapers reported that means, for instance, the annual package of the head of AIB could go from €500,000 to €2 million. Those are the kinds of dec…
I move:
That Dáil Éireann:
notes that:
— Israel Sovereign Bonds, known as Israel Bonds, have, since 1951, raised funds for the Israeli Treasury for use across the Israeli economy including the Israeli military and the illegal settlements;
— Israel Bonds have since October 2023, been advertised as war bonds with the slogan "Stand with Israel – Israel is at War", and the website marketing the bonds contains a video…
I have a right to come in as well. The Ceann Comhairle cannot cut our speaking time like that just because the Minister went over his speaking time.