The Arts Council business transformation project has cost almost €7 million and resulted in a significant loss to the Exchequer. This loss has highlighted governance issues in the Arts Council and significant lapses in oversight by the Department, which was informed from early 2021 of challenges in progressing the business transformation project and which received periodic updates at further stages of the project. I …
TDs / Patrick O'Donovan
Patrick O'Donovan
Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
0
questions asked
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them
73,474
words spoken in the chamber
73,468 as a minister, 6 as a TD
228
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
Members of the Government answer parliamentary questions rather than ask them, so this page lists none of theirs.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Contributions to debates 346 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Contributions |
|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 6 |
| March 2025 | 27 |
| April 2025 | 9 |
| May 2025 | 32 |
| June 2025 | 36 |
| July 2025 | 0 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 1 |
| October 2025 | 79 |
| November 2025 | 28 |
| December 2025 | 57 |
| January 2026 | 21 |
| February 2026 | 1 |
| March 2026 | 28 |
| April 2026 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 20 |
| June 2026 | 0 |
| July 2026 | 0 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 0 |
| October 2026 | 1 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 314 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Limerick County 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media 23 January 2025 to 1 June 2025
- office Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport 2 June 2025 to now
As Deputy Ó Snodaigh appreciates, I have asked Professor Niamh Brennan, John McCarthy and Margaret Cullen to ascertain once and for all what the Deputy is asking, because they are the same questions I am asking. I am not happy about this at all. I do not think anybody could possibly be happy about it. There is a big systems failure here. This is cold comfort when almost €7 million is gone, most of which cannot be ret…
I will take the final point Deputy Ó Snodaigh raised first. The existing system is working. It might not be great but it is working. It might be cumbersome and clunky but it is working. I will not be in favour of any further investment in ICT until, to put it in basic terms, I am assured those who are getting the investment know what they are doing. Of the €7 million spent on this, to be honest about it for the benef…
Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Teachta as ucht a thoghcháin. Tá súil agam go n-éireoidh leis anseo sa Dáil ar son mhuintir Phort Láirge. Mar a dúirt mé ar ball, tuigfidh an Teachta go bhfuil cúrsaí Gaeltachta agus Gaelainne le haistriú chuig an Aire, an Teachta Calleary, sna seachtainí amach romhainn nuair a dhéanfar na horduithe cuí a shíneadh. Tá an Bille um Údarás na Gaeltachta (Leasú), 2024, a chríochnaigh an Dara…
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. Mar is eol don Chathaoirleach Gníomhach agus don Teachta Ó Snodaigh go háirithe, rinne mé a lán oibre maidir leis an gceist seo nuair a bhí mar Aire Stáit le freagracht as an nGaeltacht sa Rialtas deireanach. Tuigim cé chomh tábhachtach atá sé ach, ar an gcéad dul síos, is ceist don Roinn Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúil agus Oidhreachta é. Tá an-chuid oibre déanta ag Údarás na Gaeltacht…
Tuigim an cheist atá á cur os comhair na Dála ag an Teachta ach is ceist don Roinn tithíochta ceist na dtreoirlínte ar an gcéad dul síos.
Beidh na hAirí, na Teachtaí Calleary agus Browne, ag obair go luath chun an t-ábhar sin a réiteach. Mar is eol don Teachta, agus mar a dúirt mé cheana féin, tá an t-aonad atá ag obair le cúrsaí Gaeltachta agus Gaeilge imithe ó mo Roinn. Níl amhras orm go bhfuil sé an-tábhachtach d…
Tá an t-ádh ar an Aire, an Teachta Calleary, mar níl aon cheist faighte agam faoi láthair trí mheán an Bhéarla. Cé go bhfuil roinnt de na ceisteanna trí mheán na Gaeilge, tá mé ag déanamh mo dhícheall na ceisteanna a phlé amach.
Ar aon nós, tá scéim na mbóithre áise curtha ar fionraí le roinnt blianta anuas. Faoin scéim sin, chuirtí airgead ar fáil do na húdaráis áitiúla ar mhaithe le hobair dheisiúcháin a dhéanamh …
Níl mé in ann an cheist sin a fhreagairt. B’fhéidir go mbeidh seans ag an Aire, an Teachta Calleary, an rud sin a réiteach nuair a bheidh sé ag freagairt na gceisteanna eile maidir leis an Roinn nua, a mbeidh freagracht na Gaeltachta faoina cúram. Tuigim, áfach, cé chomh tábhachtach is atá an cheist sin maidir leis na mbóithre sna ceantair Ghaeltachta mar chaith mé tréimhse sa Ghaeltacht nuair a bhí mé i m’Aire Stáit…
Tuigim an cheist. Mar a dúirt mé cheana féin, tá sé soiléir sa chlár Rialtais go mbeidh an t-ábhar sin réitithe ag an Rialtas. Ar an gcéad dul síos, is ábhar é a luíonn leis an Aire nua, an Teachta Calleary, agus é ag obair leis an Roinn caiteachais phoiblí i bpróiseas an bhuiséad. B’fhéidir go mbeidh seans aige nuair a bheidh sé ag labhairt sa Dáil agus ag freagairt ceisteanna níos mó eolais a chur os comhair na Dál…
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. Go n-éirí leis mar Theachta Dála do Bhaile Átha Cliath. I hope he has a very enjoyable time here as a Member of the Dáil.
Our Department is a member of the interdepartmental group on the report of the Dublin city task force, which is chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach. This group is devising a roadmap for delivery of the recommendations contained in the task force’s report. …
I do not disagree at all with what the Deputy has said. There is a role for the public sector here as well. It is clear that not all of our public buildings are being maximised to the full potential that they have. Since Covid, we know that more and more people are working from home and we still have the same level of building space and one has to ask whether they are being used for their full potential. There is no …
I agree with Deputy Ó Snodaigh, which will not come as a shock to him. As a good Newcastle West man, I would have to agree with him. Dereliction is an issue that the local authorities have been empowered by this House for donkey's years to deal with. It is not just a Dublin city issue; there are derelict sites all over the country. Our local authorities have ample powers and access to money that they did not have bef…
Cé go bhfuil tús feidhme fós le cur leis an Acht um Pleanáil agus Forbairt 2024,, is faoin Acht sin a thiocfaidh gnóthaí i ndáil le cúrsaí pleanála agus tithíochta sa Ghaeltacht sna blianta amach romhainn. Go príomha, is ag an Aire Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúil agus Oidhreachta atá an fhreagracht maidir leis an Acht nua seo, dár ndóigh. Faoi réir alt 29(1) den Acht nua, is gá go ndéanfar foráil i straitéis spáis agus …
Mar is eol don Teachta, is é an tAire tithíochta an tAire a bhfuil freagracht don pholasaí tithíochta sa Dáil seo air. Tá an rud sin soiléir. Maidir leis an rud a rinne mé, tá a fhios ag an Teachta go ndearna mé mo dhícheall an cheist sin a réiteach nuair a bhí mé i Roinn na Gaeltachta ag obair leis an Aire, an Teachta O'Brien. Tá súil agam go mbeidh an tAire, an Teachta Calleary, in ann teacht os comhair na Dála go …
Tuigim an ról atá agam faoi láthair mar Aire sa Rialtas, ach ag am céanna tuigfidh an Teachta go bhfuil an t-aonad Gaeltachta agus Gaelainne imithe ó mo Roinn. Níl siad ann. Tá an t-aonad ag obair leis an Aire, an Teachta Calleary. Níl aon dabht orm ach go bhfuil an tAire, an Teachta Calleary ag tnúth leis an gcéad uair ina mbeidh sé os comhair an choiste agus i dteagmháil leis na Teachtaí Ó Snodaigh agus Moynihan, l…
Which he does not have.
There are many people the Deputy owes one.
Hear, hear.
The Opposition does not want to hear from Government backbenchers.
There is the arrogance. The Deputy's question is more important than theirs.
I dtosach, is mian liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil le gach duine a thug cabhair do na pobail timpeall na tíre. In that context, I acknowledge and thank everybody associated with the emergency services, including the ESB, the telecoms operators and all the volunteers who helped during what was a totally unprecedented event.
With regard to communications, the estimated effect of the storm on the national telecoms user ba…