If the answer is "zero", the Minister could say it and sit down.
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
He could just say "zero".
Hear, hear.
Answer it now.
When they are filling up their cars they will remember.
And the Minister of State is endorsing it now.
Hush now, Michael.
Yes.
Not yet, a Cheann Comhairle.
Hear, hear.
I thank the Deputies for bringing forward the motion. The Government knows well the difference between not opposing something and supporting something. The Minister is around long enough to know the nod in the direction of saying something is a good idea and actively and proactively working for it are two very separate things. I urge the Government to not just not oppose this motion, but also accept it in the spirit …
Nobody said that.
Is there anyone else to blame?
82. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware that the measurement 'consistent poverty' obscures the full number of people both at risk of poverty and in material deprivation; if he is aware that 'consistent poverty' fails to account for housing costs; if he will consider using both 'material deprivation' and 'at risk of poverty after housing costs' as alternative measures for fut…
In keeping with my form, this question is fairly straightforward. It is to do with the use of the measurement of consistent poverty, which obscures the full number of people both at risk of poverty and in material deprivation. I hope the Minister tells me he will do what I am asking, which is to consider alternative measures. We all have an interest in tackling poverty but we cannot do that unless we are measuring it…
The problem is that the level of children in consistent poverty is currently 8.5%, that figure having doubled since 2024. However, the consistent poverty measure, in and of itself, does not account for housing costs. The Minister and I both know that for reasons of Government policy, housing costs are out of control. People who are at risk of poverty or living in consistent poverty are not having the extent of that p…
Is that the dashboard that will be published in early 2026?
Maybe when he comes back in, the Minister can tell me when the dashboard, which will allegedly contain a number of child poverty measurements, will be available. I know it will come from the child poverty unit so is not, strictly speaking, the Minister's Department, but I am sure it will be involved in it. Here is my difficulty. The consistent poverty rate for children is running at 8.5%, double what it was in 2024. …
84. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of schools under contract to a supplier (details supplied) under the hot school meals programme; the number of these schools that exclusively cater to additional educational needs; the number that are DEIS schools; the number that are DEIS+ schools; his plan to provide parents of children affected by the cessation of the services with a st…
The question relates to the sudden cessation of an element of the hot school meals programme. I am specifically interested in the number of schools impacted that are DEIS schools or that exclusively cater for children with additional educational needs. The Minister has to be aware that this news came as a bolt out of the blue for parents. It seemed there was no contingency in place when it happened. Will the Minister…
We have known for months that at least one in five parents skip meals or reduce their own portions to ensure their children have enough to eat. That underlines the importance of this programme. The Minister's colleague, An Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, has said he will personally intervene in the case of one school in Cork. I have just read a newspaper article in which he confirms that. I do not think a nationall…
I will give the Minister another chance to tell me what the timeline was regarding when the Department knew about the service withdrawal and when the parents knew. This came as a bolt out of the blue. When you are living on a low income or a fixed income and you are trying to feed kids, you plan ahead. Parents had planned ahead on the basis that their kids would be getting a hot meal in the middle of the day. That ha…
On a related note, in the context of waste within the hot school meals programme, I understand the relationship is between the school and the provider but the Minister's Department issues guidelines and those guidelines refer to things like portion size and calories. Will the Minister issue some guidelines regarding age appropriateness? A child of four does not eat the same portion size as a child of 12. They just do…
97. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware of the fact that when custody is split between two separated or divorced co-parents, there is no mechanism by which both co-parents may each receive half of the children's allowance and the children's allowance instead universally goes to the mother regardless of circumstances; if he is aware of the financial hardship this can incur on…
I want it to be clear before I put this question that I understand completely why the default is that child benefit goes to the mother. I absolutely respect that. I appreciate where it comes from. However, increasingly I have people coming into my office and contacting my office here in the Dáil to say that they are co-parents, children are not cheap, they split the bills 50:50 and they have access. In some instances…