The treatment of vulnerable children in the care of the State is an ongoing horror and scandal. Yesterday The Irish Times reported from the High Court on the shocking cases of three of these children. A 14-year-old girl who has mild learning difficulties is being subjected to horrific sexual exploitation by multiple men. The girl has been approached by men who gave her alcohol, cocaine and other drugs. Tusla and the …
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
I asked whether the Taoiseach agrees with the Tusla plan to actually reduce the number of children taken into special care. Does he think that is an appropriate response, not to meet the need that is there and not to provide a sufficient level of staffing? What are his thoughts on that and what specifically is he going to do about this? These shortages have been going on for eight years. There have been at least nine…
Does the Taoiseach agree that these children need special care?
On behalf of the Social Democrats, at the outset I want to acknowledge and welcome members of the Stack family who are here today: Brian's wife Sheila and his sons Austin, Kieran and Oliver. The public apology that has been delivered today is long overdue because the murder of Brian Stack by the IRA was not just a crime against Brian and his family; it was also an attack on the State.
At the time of his murder, Bria…
Last month, a man who was alleged to have threatened to rape and kill his former partner was allowed to cross-examine her in court. This is a man who was accused of trying to kick in her front door and break into her home while young children were present. He is accused of sending her an image of a handgun and saying he would rip her teeth out with pliers and stick a gun down her throat. He was allowed to cross-exami…
This is not reform; this is chaos that has been created. Why has the Minister for justice not met with the Law Society, given how serious this is? Since July there have been no meetings. Only now is he saying that he will meet it. Why has he let this go on for so long? What is the Taoiseach going to do about this? Surely he agrees that what has happened and what people have been put through - people who have gone thr…
8. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will meet next. [69993/26]
14. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will meet next. [67182/26]
28. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education will next meet. [69991/26]
35. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education will next meet. [67179/26]
Tá pobal Ghaelchólaiste Reachrann, an fhoireann, na tuismitheoirí agus na daltaí ag fanacht le 25 bliain. They are waiting 25 years for permanent school buildings. The Minister for education promised them that construction would begin in quarter 2 of this year. That passed. Construction did not start. Then the promise was quarter 3 of this year. That passed. Construction did not start. Then the promise was quarter 4 …
The Tánaiste said help was on the way in this budget but who has been helped by the budget and this Bill? It is the asset holders who are getting a tax cut, it is the developers who are getting another top-up and it is the banks that pay virtually no corporation tax despite making billions of euro in profits. They all did well but there is very little in the Bill for struggling families, pensioners, disabled people o…
On behalf of the Social Democrats, I extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the four people, including the two children, who were killed this morning in Waterford. Our thoughts are with the two children who are in hospital. It is really shocking and harrowing what is happened, and the wider community needs support. I also pay tribute to the first responders and the staff in the hospital who enga…
Does the Taoiseach take any responsibility for the industrial action that will take place tomorrow? Why is it that when Deputy Martin is Taoiseach he cannot get into negotiations? Why were the previous Government's public sector pay deals concluded long before this, at a time when the country had more resources? Does the Taoiseach take any responsibility for this, or is it all somehow somebody else's responsibility a…
In the last election, Fianna Fáil was crystal-clear that if it was returned to government, pensions would increase by at least €12 per week every year. It is in the party's manifesto in black and white. The Government broke its promise to pensioners in last year's budget and did so again this year. The additional €10 announced yesterday does not even cover the cost of inflation. As if the broken promise was not enoug…
The Taoiseach should listen back to Noel on "Today with David McCullagh" and hear exactly what he had to say about living alone allowance. He was not speaking just for himself but for countless pensioners living alone across the country who feel the badly let down by the Government. The Taoiseach has not answered my question as to why pensioners were promised in the Fianna Fáil manifesto in black and white, a increas…
The Government said €12 in every budget.
Is it their fault or Fine Gael's fault?
The Taoiseach is ignoring his promises.
First, I congratulate the Tánaiste and his family on the great news of the arrival of his baby daughter. I wish him and his family all the best at this very happy time.
Help is on the way. That was the promise from the Tánaiste; that was the spin. Today, we see the reality - talk is cheap, promises are easily broken and this Government cannot be relied upon. This budget is totally devoid of ambition. It is lacking i…
That is where the money goes, and that is the answer to the question every person in this country asks: how is it that we have never been richer as a country and yet it is getting harder and harder just to get by?
The Social Democrats have a plan to do things differently. We would target meaningful supports at the households that are struggling, and we would fix the causes rather than paper over the symptoms. We wou…
Moatview Early Education Centre plays an absolutely vital role in the local community in Moatview, Dublin 17. If it closes - if action is not taken, that is exactly what may happen - it will leave a huge gap in the local community that will not be filled. It does excellent work. It takes in a lot of children with additional needs and looks after them very well. It has a huge funding deficit. Part of this arises from …
My apologies, but I will have to leave early. Why is Pobal insisting on dealing simply with the board of directors? Why will Pobal not deal with the manager, Susan Russell, who runs this small community childcare service and has done for decades? She has been running this successfully, day in, day out, for years. She is the person who, through her blood, sweat and tears, has run this and kept it open over the years. …
I thank my colleague, Deputy Whitmore, for leading on this Private Members' business and for all the work she does in this area. I also thank everyone who contributed to the debate.
I find the Minister of State's contribution and the position of the Government extraordinary. The Government keeps saying this is up to the European Union and if something comes from the Commission, the Irish Government will look at it a…
At the outset, on behalf of the Social Democrats, I want to extend our very sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Seamus Carroll and his wife, Treasa. Seamus was someone who, when you met him, you were always left with a smile on your face afterwards. He was a very kind, lovely man and he will be very much missed by all of us.
Ní ceart go mbeadh pinsinéirí na tíre seo i ngreim ag an eagla mar gheall go bhf…