As the Minister of State has been hearing, the rainfall we have had in recent weeks - it was raining when I was coming in here today, so we may not be past it yet - has caused considerable damage to homes and businesses, including in my constituency of Dublin Rathdown. This intense rain flooded areas including Clonskeagh, Nutgrove, Benildus Avenue, Aiken Village in Stepaside and Cookstown Lane in Kilternan. The local…
TDs / Maeve O'Connell
Maeve O'Connell
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
551
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
21,976
words spoken in the chamber
Across 84 contributions
414
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
132
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 551 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 84 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 9 | 7 |
| March 2025 | 16 | 1 |
| April 2025 | 62 | 4 |
| May 2025 | 109 | 10 |
| June 2025 | 95 | 1 |
| July 2025 | 54 | 10 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 27 | 0 |
| October 2025 | 21 | 5 |
| November 2025 | 15 | 11 |
| December 2025 | 11 | 3 |
| January 2026 | 31 | 6 |
| February 2026 | 18 | 6 |
| March 2026 | 11 | 2 |
| April 2026 | 10 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 15 | 4 |
| June 2026 | 16 | 4 |
| July 2026 | 24 | 2 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 5 | 1 |
| 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 Dublin Rathdown 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
I am taking this question on behalf of Deputy Peter Roche. Has the Department examined the impact of the current means-testing arrangements for the SUSI grant for those applicants who continue to reside in the family home and thus have to be assessed on their parental income? Obviously, the number of people in this situation is rising, potentially, because of the housing crisis. Has the Department engaged with the De…
According to the Skillnet Ireland talent report for 2025, 58% of businesses report that they have difficulty in attracting required skills. There is a huge opportunity for society and for the individuals themselves in people reskilling and upskilling, thereby contributing more to society and improving their own lives. However, we are effectively putting barriers in place, preventing people from engaging in this upski…
I acknowledge the improvements that have been made to the various schemes. The overall scheme does not take into account how the world in which we are operating has changed. We are now in a world where people are expected to engage in lifelong learning. People return to education, then go back to work and then return to education. We need to demonstrate our support for that. As we know, we are also facing a housing c…
147. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has engaged in any consultation processes with approved housing bodies and local authorities in advance of legislation removing blanket pet bans. [4416/26]
I agree with the Minister's proposal to repeal the ban. That is only sensible and sane. This has caused unquantifiable distress to families who have been in touch with me. I will give one example of one family. They were on a social housing list and got approval. They were very excited, but only a couple of months earlier they had generously taken in their neighbour's dog when their neighbour had passed and they sudd…
I thank the Minister for that reassurance. My view is that the existing wear and tear and antisocial elements of contracts would cover any of the situations that could arise with regard to pets and, therefore, I think that is unnecessary. I have been in touch with a number of different AHBs and there is a variety of policies out there already, which is interesting in itself. Some do not have any restrictions on pets,…
I am delighted to be able to speak today on a cause that is very close to my heart. My family and I have always had dogs. My current girl, Jenko, is a rescue, and I applaud all of those who work and volunteer in dog shelters and rescues for their commitment, passion and deep care. Most of those who provide day care, kennels and breed dogs have their dogs' welfare as their number one priority. Dogs are not only part o…
I look forward to the outcomes of the process I have outlined and to working positively with the Minister to deliver positively for dogs, their families and our wider communities.
We are debating something important here - the National Training Fund - but it is effectively a tax on employers. They have been quite happy to contribute to that fund over the years because ultimately they get the benefit of it from the upskilling of their current and potential future workers. While I have concerns with the proposed amendments, the spirit of what they are proposing is a concern I share as well. When…
Has the Department examined international best practice in public transport app design? Are lessons from other jurisdictions are being considered in the digital strategy for TFI?
The Minister of State highlighted some of the issues. Deputy Currie also highlighted the issue of ghost buses and the unreliability of the app. Deputy Timmins also highlighted this issue as well. It is also very frustrating that there is not one single accessible platform. There are effectively five different apps that people might find themselves having to interact with to plan their journey. There is the journey pl…
I am delighted to hear the comments are being taken on board. At the moment, we expect we might have to hop off a bus and onto a Luas or a DART, but we have to hop between applications as well to do it. This is not something that makes it easy for people to use our public transportation network. I appreciate the Minister of State's comments about the regional providers as well and that he is looking to include them m…
85. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Transport if analysis has been completed to study the way in which or if the completion of active travel projects have had a material effect on the carbon emissions of commuters in County Dublin, or across the country. [63312/25]
I ask the Minister for Transport if any analysis has been conducted on the completion of active travel projects and, in particular, any impact they may have had on the carbon emissions of commuters in Dublin or across the country.
My constituency of Dublin-Rathdown has seen significant change during the past five years through the development of active travel greenways and other similar schemes. Over €80 million has been spent, with €29 million allocated in 2025 alone, to support the various commitments in the national sustainable mobility policy to get people out of cars to walk and cycle instead, as well as the climate action plan which aims…
I appreciate that the Minister of State and I seem to be singing off the same hymn sheet. I attended one of the original proposal meetings on what are now called "active travel schemes" back in 2020. The overseeing consultants assured us then that traffic would just disappear if we implemented these schemes. The only real, empirical report I am aware of is on Kilmacud after new cycle lanes, road closures and various …
If we cannot say, do not know or do not know yet, then do we know if we are pouring good money after bad?
Although I trained as a lawyer, science has always been part of my life. My mother was a dentist and my father was an engineer. They encouraged us to watch every television show on science. They subscribed to the New Scientist magazine and the National Geographic to encourage a love of science in us. My sister got the bug and she went on to get her PhD in chemistry. She and her husband have worked very successfully i…
I take this opportunity to raise the issue of the cost of further and higher education. Is the Department planning to publish a roadmap to address the cost of education at higher and further level? As a fellow graduate of UCC, no doubt the Taoiseach will remember the days in the Kampus Kitchen or the main restaurant when he would have counted his change before buying a warming bowl of soup or cup of Barry's tea.
Stu…
I thank the Taoiseach. I am delighted to hear that he was a fellow tea-drinker as well. As a Corkman, I have to assume that is good old Barry's Tea too. I welcome that.
I also support our investment in research but I do not see that it is a trade-off. We need to invest in our students, but the cost of education can encourage students to work more hours and damage their education.
There is another opportunity that I…
I welcome the opportunity to debate Second Stage of the National Training Fund (Amendment) Bill. In progressing this Bill through the Oireachtas, it is vitally important that we ensure the National Training Fund's original principles are maintained.
Established in 2000, the National Training Fund has spent more than two decades, as we know, funding training for those in employment and those seeking employment. Ident…
I am delighted to stand here today and say I have great confidence in the Tánaiste, Simon Harris. Before I was elected, which was only last year, I was a lecturer in TU Dublin and I saw at first hand the work he did to transform that sector when he was the first Minister for higher education.
I saw him raise the status of apprenticeships. I saw the pride of those students increase when they could walk around campus …
14. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures his Department is evaluating to promote the conversion of older buildings for housing delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53387/25]
Will the Minister of State outline the measures his Department is evaluating to promote the conversion of older buildings for housing delivery?