Any changes, temporary or otherwise, might be welcome, but the withdrawal of energy credits is causing real and genuine hardship for people. I see it in my clinics. I am sure the Minister does as well. He mentioned the energy affordability task force, but that is only a continuation of the other task force. It is a little bit "Father Ted" - is there anything to be said for another mass - that there is another task fo…
TDs / Louise O'Reilly
Louise O'Reilly
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
769
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
109,508
words spoken in the chamber
Across 611 contributions. Plus 82 contributions from the chair, not counted
400
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
161
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 769 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 611 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 4 | 18 |
| February 2025 | 31 | 58 |
| March 2025 | 36 | 41 |
| April 2025 | 39 | 15 |
| May 2025 | 96 | 43 |
| June 2025 | 40 | 34 |
| July 2025 | 34 | 52 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 23 | 45 |
| October 2025 | 24 | 52 |
| November 2025 | 62 | 20 |
| December 2025 | 19 | 21 |
| January 2026 | 52 | 34 |
| February 2026 | 28 | 34 |
| March 2026 | 39 | 13 |
| April 2026 | 34 | 36 |
| May 2026 | 20 | 22 |
| June 2026 | 133 | 23 |
| July 2026 | 16 | 19 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 29 | 19 |
| October 2026 | 10 | 12 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 370 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 Fingal West 29 November 2024 to now
- party Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
Supplementary questions may not be asked on a priority question.
3. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the roll-out of auto-enrolment; specifically for an update on his engagement with other Departments as regards the roll-out of auto-enrolment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2823/26]
This again is a straightforward question. I am interested in the numbers of people who have been signed up for auto-enrolment, and also any engagements the Department or Minister may have had with agencies. I submitted this question because I was contacted by senior managers in funded agencies who had a concern that their funding was not increased but their obligation had increased. One of them cheekily said I could …
The Minister deftly avoided answering that question. If the choice for the chief executive is that he has to put money into the pension or cut back on services, what decision does the Minister want him to make? Between 70,000 and 80,000 people are currently not covered, but the 92% figure is certainly evidence that people have heard about auto-enrolment and are signing up. I still have a concern because I know this h…
I record my concern with regard to Tata Consultancy Services.
I have put this on the record previously. I am not massively impressed with the Minister’s defence of the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund - that if it is good enough for Norway, it should be good enough for us. We should paddle our own canoe on this and the Minister should do his own research. I do not think the State should be doing business with compani…
8. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has given consideration to additional cost-of-living measures, given the increased rates of poverty after housing costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2838/26]
As the Minister will know, and as a direct result of Government policy, the housing situation in this State is - what is the word we are using now? Is it "crisis"? "Emergency"? "Disaster"? Any of those would be used, but "expensive" and, in many instances, "unaffordable" are the words people will most use. My question relates to additional cost-of-living measures. Has the Minister given any consideration to such meas…
The Minister mentioned the rate of inflation and did not mention the rate of housing inflation, the cost of housing. That was specifically mentioned in the question.
The cost of housing in this State is rising and has risen every single year, whether people are renting or are struggling to buy. After housing costs, 40% of renters live on an income below the poverty line. That is 43% for local authority tenants. It i…
Half of Dublin is on homeless HAP. I know what it is and the Minister does not need to explain it to me. The fact is that when we factor in housing costs, we see the true picture of poverty in the State. A quarter of children under 16 years of age, 26.7%, are growing up in poverty. Almost a quarter of workers, 22.3%, are living in poverty. These are very real figures. I ask the Minister to give consideration to addit…
It would be quicker if the Minister just said, "No". Is he considering additional cost-of-living measures given that people are absolutely battered? I have read out the figures to him that show that a quarter of children are living in poverty and nearly a quarter of workers are living in poverty. If the Minister is not prepared to give the measures that will ensure that these people do not live in poverty then he sho…
I was not going to say anything but I felt moved to do so. It is interesting to hear a Government backbencher describe how people with disabilities were left devastated and feeling let down by the budget. Of course, the difference between myself and the Minister's backbench colleague is that she voted for budget and I did not. This is the very same budget that devastated and let people down. I have a simple question …
In April last year, two young men died by suicide. I am not going to put their names on the record but they are in the public domain. Both of these young men had been chatting with an AI bot at the time of their deaths. Their families say that a specific version of this artificial intelligence bot designed to be friendlier, more empathetic and encouraging had in fact encourage the deaths by suicide of these young men…
I welcome the opportunity to have this discussion with the Minister of State. You will often hear reference made to some person, group or entity being the "canary in the coalmine". I believe that young people, when it comes to unemployment, are that canary in the coalmine. Looking at the trend, the general unemployment rate increased from 4.5% in quarter 3 of 2024 to 5.3% in quarter 3 of 2025. When you delve down int…
The Minister of State said he thinks we would all agree that it is not unusual for youth employment rates to be higher than those of older cohorts. I respectfully disagree with him. Dr. Elish Kelly from the ESRI has described the youth unemployment rate as it currently stands as a worrying trend because when you look at that age profile the chances are that they have lower levels of education and attainment. They are…
What we see as part of the trend within the general unemployment figures is something that should be concerning, and no more than that. I think it bears more examination and that piece of research into those labour market conditions and the factors driving that faster rate of increase would be useful.
I want to start by thanking Deputy Gould and his office for bringing forward this legislation and for all of the work they do and continue to do on this serious issue. When people look in at the proceedings of the Dáil, at least they see that some people are interested in taking action on dereliction. They also see the Government and its complete lack of interest in it. I am struggling a little to understand what poi…
And it is the same from the Minister. There is rising homelessness, the same as every month. If he was doing his job, we would not have anything to-----
I do not need to remind the Taoiseach about the massive issues people are having with the platform X, formerly known as Twitter. It is an absolute cesspit. More and more people are leaving the platform. In fact, I would be inclined to leave the platform myself were it not for the fact that I am a commuter who regularly uses the northern commuter line. Irish Rail continues to give its updates only via X, not on its we…
People should have a choice.
A dedicated WhatsApp channel would work.
On 2 January, I very happily celebrated 19 years without cigarettes. I did not vape; I do not think there were any vapes at that stage. If there were, they were very new. I was lucky and did not use chewing gum. I relied heavily on licorice all sorts, crisps and anything else I could get my hands on. The important thing is that I managed. Regrettably, I smoked my first cigarette - if my mother was alive she would bur…
108. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he intends to implement a socially-just phase out action plan for the replacement of fossil fuels by sustainable energy sources; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73018/25]
I have a Topical Issue matter later so I am not being the Grinch if I do not say happy Christmas to everyone. It would feel a bit silly to do it twice.
I absolutely agree with the Minister who has said many times that gardaí need to be properly equipped and need adequate resources. We need them to be adequately equipped and resourced so they can do the very important work we need them to do. As was outlined, we are …
Before I raise my issue, I wish the Ceann Comhaire and her team, including Jill Gray, and every person who works in the Oireachtas a happy Christmas. We are incredibly well looked after. Sometimes it is a bit lost on us how well served we are. This is a very decent place to work because of the men and women who keep it going. I hope everybody gets a chance to spend a bit of quality time with their family, because the…