We are not simply facing a housing shortage, but confronting a failure of governments, of planning, of priority and of moral seriousness. This motion shines a light on a scandal that should never have been allowed to become routine. There are 2,656 vacant council homes across the State. Nearly 800 of them have been empty for over a year while nearly 4,000 children sleep in tents on cold streets and the lucky ones sle…
TDs / Ken O'Flynn
Ken O'Flynn
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
9,005
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
86,377
words spoken in the chamber
Across 393 contributions. Plus 40 contributions from the chair, not counted
295
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
421
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 9,005 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 393 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 1 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 1 |
| February 2025 | 17 | 20 |
| March 2025 | 14 | 22 |
| April 2025 | 24 | 16 |
| May 2025 | 227 | 18 |
| June 2025 | 49 | 14 |
| July 2025 | 35 | 24 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 663 | 33 |
| October 2025 | 297 | 9 |
| November 2025 | 1,060 | 18 |
| December 2025 | 621 | 2 |
| January 2026 | 190 | 45 |
| February 2026 | 911 | 14 |
| March 2026 | 387 | 38 |
| April 2026 | 691 | 31 |
| May 2026 | 2,122 | 20 |
| June 2026 | 635 | 22 |
| July 2026 | 289 | 11 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 2 |
| September 2026 | 347 | 12 |
| October 2026 | 426 | 20 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 188 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 Cork North-Central 29 November 2024 to now
- party Independent Ireland 29 November 2024 to now
I rise today not merely to contribute to the passing of a technical amendment but also to underscore a broader truth the legislation reveals, which I am sure this Government would prefer was overlooked. At the heart of this Bill it seeks to strengthen the protection for employees where their employers become insolvent, and it finally gives fuller effect to the Directive 2008/94/EC. This directive was adopted by the E…
To sit still while children are cut open without cause is not policy; it is barbarism masquerading as procedure. The nation watched in horror as more than 500 children, babies and toddlers were subjected to major hip surgeries without proper medical justification. This is not just clinical error; this is systemic betrayal and a violation of duty. The Department of Health and the HSE knew. They were warned by whistleb…
Earlier this month, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, outlined significant changes in UK immigration policies, including tightening of visa controls, reduced post-study work rights and a longer route to citizenship, going from five years to ten years. While these are UK domestic decisions, they have a serious impact on us here in the Republic of Ireland, particularly because the UK still occupie…
I move:
That Dáil Éireann:
acknowledges:
— the vital role played by carers and front-line healthcare workers in supporting older people, people with disabilities, and those with high care needs within their homes and communities;
— the indispensable contribution of these workers in alleviating pressure on hospitals and long-term residential care facilities through early intervention, continuity of care, and digni…
I take a little bit of umbrage of what the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, said. Perhaps it was just a slip of the tongue when she mentioned the number of people who have spoken on the motion. The majority of those who have spoken on it are from the Opposition benches. Only two from the Government benches turned up for this debate, with the exception of the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, and …
Thank you, Deputy. You are out of time.
Deputy, you are out of time.
You are now 20 seconds over time.
You are now 20 seconds over time.
Do not tell me to calm down. Please, Deputy.
Have a small bit of respect. I appreciate you do not have any respect for me but have respect for the Chair.
Have respect for the Chair. Everybody prepares and makes their speech in the time they are allotted.
You have been a Member of this House long enough to know those rules.
I welcome Cara and her dad, Mark, to the Public Gallery, as many of my colleagues on these benches have. When Cara walked in to Leinster House today, I noticed that she passed a painting of Countess Markievicz and busts of Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, women who have left indelible marks on this State. Cara’s name is up there with those great women who have left an indelible mark on this State. I honestly mean tha…
I raise an issue with the Minister that has gone unaddressed in this House for far too long. It is a blatant discrimination built on the taxation regime targeted squarely at citizens with no children in this country. I ask her plainly if it is acceptable for the Government to oversee, implement and defend a taxation system that discriminates against people purely based on the fact they do not have children.
Every da…
This is not a hypothetical or abstract policy debate. This affects hundreds of thousands of people in this country. On 19 March in the Upper House, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe said he would address the fundamental points of discrimination. He also made the statement that it seemed to be constitutional, yet he has not provided any proof or legal argument and no documentation has ever been published by thi…
I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case:
Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss wages of early childhood educators and staff shortages.
Deputy Eoghan Kenny - To discuss multi-annual funding for residential placements for adults with disabilities.
Deputy Brian Brennan - To discuss discrepancies in the r…
Discussion on this Topical Issue matter has concluded. The Minister might respond to the Deputy privately on that.
Thank you, Deputy.
I am impressed to hear the amount of credentials and the trade union members elected here, but unlike many of my colleagues I have never been a member of a trade union. I was employed while in college in the United Kingdom doing basic work behind bars and the rest of it. I never had an opportunity to join a trade union. I was self-employed. I ran bars and restaurants in Spain. I did not have an opportunity to get inv…
It is related in the Irish Examiner that, at a meeting of Cork City Council last Monday evening, a number of councillors stated that Cork city is a no-go area and that there are parts of the city that you cannot go into. Another councillor, Seán Martin, stated that we have to take back our city. Does the Taoiseach agree with his Fianna Fáil colleagues on Cork City Council that the city is now unsafe and that it is a …
I almost feel sorry for the Ceann Comhairle because she is hearing the same story over and over again from every Deputy who has spoken.
The Minister of State, Deputy Jerry Buttimer, and I share a constituency in Cork. He will be aware that 39 weeks is the average waiting time. We seem to be a country of waiting lists. We are very good at creating waiting lists and long waits for everybody. Families are being discomm…
The Taoiseach is not heckled from all sides of the House.
I am sure the Taoiseach will join me in welcoming the Meany family from the Lower Glanmire Road and Ballyvolane to the Public Gallery.
As reported by RTÉ and the Irish Examiner, a HSE inquest issued an apology on Tuesday, 29 April for the death almost six years ago of Mr. Anthony Hennessy of Mallow, County Cork, in a room in St. Stephen's Hospital in Glanmire near Cork city. On 25 November 2019, Anthony died by suic…