I welcome the Minister's engagement with the council and the town team. I emphasise the declining condition of this building and its historical significance. It cannot be lost. There is much urgency around this. The plans the council and the local community have would be transformational for the local area. It is an exciting project but, obviously, funding is needed to progress it. I ask that the need to protect the …
TDs / Louis O'Hara
Louis O'Hara
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
1,081
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
64,653
words spoken in the chamber
Across 288 contributions. Plus 4 contributions from the chair, not counted
432
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
242
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 1,081 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 288 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 9 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 44 | 5 |
| March 2025 | 43 | 11 |
| April 2025 | 41 | 9 |
| May 2025 | 51 | 23 |
| June 2025 | 51 | 6 |
| July 2025 | 49 | 12 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 55 | 10 |
| October 2025 | 26 | 13 |
| November 2025 | 80 | 21 |
| December 2025 | 44 | 17 |
| January 2026 | 59 | 13 |
| February 2026 | 73 | 27 |
| March 2026 | 70 | 19 |
| April 2026 | 87 | 12 |
| May 2026 | 74 | 14 |
| June 2026 | 91 | 26 |
| July 2026 | 41 | 17 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 46 | 19 |
| October 2026 | 47 | 14 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 210 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 Galway East 29 November 2024 to now
- party Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
Carers and front-line healthcare workers are the backbone of our care system, enabling people with high-care needs to live with dignity at home. Home care workers and family carers bring significant improvements to people’s health and well-being, reduce pressure on hospitals and deliver enormous savings for the health service but we know that many vulnerable people are not receiving the level of care that they need. …
I am regularly contacted by parents in my constituency expressing their frustration and despair at the assessments of need process, the lengthy delays and the fact that parents have to fight every step of the way to get an appropriate assessment for their child. One mother told me how her daughter waited nearly three years for an assessment and received no supports in the meantime. She would have paid for one private…
As we discuss this today, our farming sector is facing a number of challenges - farm enterprise viability, unfair trade, competition and demographic changes in the farming community. On farm viability, the latest data from Teagasc showed that just 27% of Irish farms were considered economically viable in 2023. This is a startling statistic and recent trends in input costs suggest that 2024 may not be any better. In t…
Many young people in my constituency have been waiting months on end for their driving tests. It is incredibly disappointing that the delays in this regard have worsened since this issue was last raised by us in February. Being able to drive is an absolute necessity for any young person who lives in a rural community in the context of their independence and allowing them to lead an adult life and secure work and educ…
This is a very important motion. We cannot build houses unless we have the necessary infrastructure in place. I have raised a number of times the failure to invest in wastewater infrastructure in a number of towns and villages across my constituency, as well as the slow delivery of projects which has stalled the delivery of housing. I raised it with the Tánaiste last week who said that investment would be forthcoming…
5. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Transport if work has commenced on a new State aviation policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23069/25]
I ask the Minister to provide an update on the new State aviation policy and also provide more information on the process of the review that he mentioned earlier.
As has been said, it is ten years since the State aviation policy was updated so I hope it is something that can be progressed as quickly as possible. The national planning framework, which came before us recently, made very limited reference to the role that the State’s regional airports will play into the future. The development of these airports must be a clear strategic priority, especially in the context of bala…
I thank the Minister. I met representatives of Shannon Airport recently. I am also on the cross-party Oireachtas group. Obviously every airport wants more airlines but they also want support in terms of policy from the Minister. They want the State aviation policy to reflect the need to develop regional airports.
I want to raise the issue of bus and rail links to airports, in particular Shannon Airport and Knock air…
10. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Transport the actions his Department is undertaking to address capacity issues on InterCity rail services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22868/25]
This is to ask the Minister what actions his Department is taking to address capacity issues on InterCity and regional rail services, particularly in the context of increased numbers of people using public transport, as the Minister mentioned.
The issue of overcrowding on services, particularly at peak times in and out of Galway city at stations such as Athenry has been raised with me. I have met Irish Rail to discuss this. For example, we have only two carriages on the first train arriving into Galway city at 8.10 a.m. every day. We have seen serious overcrowding and it has been a safety issue.
As the Minister mentioned, there are new carriages arriving …
I welcome the Minister's commitment to raise this issue with Irish Rail. I will also raise the lack of early morning services into the city. As I have mentioned, that first train arrives at 8.10 a.m. Again, there are restrictions with the single track but is that going to be looked at? There are issues with morning services being late. I ask the Minister to engage with Irish Rail on that and on the need for more serv…
We learned this week that the Government has again misled the public. The funding announced for Irish Water to support increased housing supply was not actually additional funding, but just a different way of funding the current programme. We have heard that directly from the chairman of Irish Water. I am sure the Tánaiste will deny that, but he cannot deny the reality on the ground.
There are many towns and village…
The consequences of the crisis in childcare are well known. Many parents who want to work are prevented from doing so. They have to leave their jobs or reduce their hours and stay at home with their children instead. This is preventing many people, women in particular, from returning to the workplace. It impacts hugely on low-income families. At present, we have some of the highest childcare costs in the EU. Thousand…
International Workers' Day is not only a time to celebrate the strides that have been made in improving workers' conditions and pay; it is also a time to reflect on the areas that need significant improvement. Sub-minimum wage rates, in particular, remain an issue. These rates mean young people under the age of 20 are legally allowed to be paid less than their fellow colleagues for the same work. These rates are expl…
I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this important motion. I want to use the opportunity to raise an ongoing allocation review in Lisheenkyle National School in my constituency, which is due to be completed in mid-May. The school currently has ten SNAs, who are a fantastic support to the children there. Parents have been informed by the SENO and school staff that the review is likely to reduce the number of…
This framework will have a significant influence on the development of major strategic projects in the State. It should show ambition for future balanced regional development. As a TD from the west of Ireland, however, I think this development plan fails to address the current regional imbalance between the greater Dublin area and the rest of the country. If anything, the population growth targets contained within th…
Public representatives were made aware of a contract having been signed to provide international protection accommodation at the Merriman Hotel, Kinvara, on 18 March. This was the first anybody had heard about this. It has caused enormous anger in the local community. I need to stress that the people of Kinvara have always been very welcoming to refugees from different parts of the world over many years. However, in …
Engagement is no good after a decision is made. That is not consultation. Communities cannot be kept in the dark on these proposals and treated with utter contempt. It is a recipe for disaster. Stating that the sole hotel policy does not apply to hotels like the Merriman is a cop-out. It is a hotel. It is the only one in the village. This is a tourist village, and the loss of this hotel is having a serious economic i…
One of my greatest frustrations with Irish Water is the difficulty in accessing information or getting a response to representations. I am aware this is a major source of frustration for my constituents also. It was particularly an issue in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn, when very little information was provided by phone or email on disruptions to water supply. In recent weeks, I have been getting responses to represe…
As we know, many workers who have a contractual retirement age lower than the pension age are being forced out of their jobs and this can lead to significant drops in income for workers. It is also insulting to people who have worked their entire lives to be forced out of their jobs before they can access the full pension. This has caused significant hardship for many older citizens. Many people find purpose in their…
No one trusts the Minister on this issue, given what has happened in the past. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael cannot be trusted when it comes to water charges. The fact that the Minister is opposing this Bill confirms we are right to have those suspicions. Water is a human right. Water charges punish the likes of pensioners and people on low incomes. They push people into water poverty. We have a cost-of-living crisis and…
Funnily enough, this was not mentioned during the general election campaign because the Minister knows this is something the Irish public does not support. This has never been about conservation or tackling excessive use from the Government’s point of view. It is simply an attempt to bring domestic water charges in through the back door. If it was about conservation, we would have proper investment in our water infra…