They want houses.
TDs / Darren O'Rourke
Darren O'Rourke
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
1,809
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
93,019
words spoken in the chamber
Across 530 contributions. Plus 27 contributions from the chair, not counted
435
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
270
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 1,809 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 530 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 25 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 112 | 30 |
| March 2025 | 96 | 8 |
| April 2025 | 54 | 17 |
| May 2025 | 91 | 38 |
| June 2025 | 121 | 28 |
| July 2025 | 198 | 41 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 76 | 13 |
| October 2025 | 97 | 21 |
| November 2025 | 109 | 24 |
| December 2025 | 71 | 29 |
| January 2026 | 77 | 32 |
| February 2026 | 181 | 52 |
| March 2026 | 100 | 22 |
| April 2026 | 90 | 45 |
| May 2026 | 60 | 31 |
| June 2026 | 129 | 39 |
| July 2026 | 42 | 22 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 27 | 16 |
| October 2026 | 53 | 22 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 407 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 Meath East 29 November 2024 to now
- party Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
Three-bedroom houses for €500,000.
This is a budget in excess of €9 million that has, incredibly, left people worse off. It contains broken election promise after broken election promise. I will focus my comments on the education and youth sector. People can rightly see through Government spin and that was well captured on the "Prime Time" programme last night. We heard a grandparent from Coolock talking about his grandkids who were all planning to le…
85. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health for an update on the investigation into unnecessary hip surgeries at CHI; the supports available to those affected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51162/25]
I thank the Minister for that update. I have a few follow-up questions. On the initial cohort of 196, does the Minister have an indicative timeline on when that full cohort might be completed? It was a significant number and in excess of 196. Is the Minister close to appointing a lead for the membership of the external review? We are only at the start of the month but there is keen interest in that. There was lots of…
I welcome that the Minister outlined a series of dates for engagement, including today. There is some emerging and serious concern about the scope and potential terms of reference for the external review. One area is how it will specifically relate to Crumlin hospital and surgeons operating there, as well as at Cork, Galway and elsewhere across the State and, related to that, how it will apply to children with comple…
The situation in Gaza is not just a tragedy; it is a moral catastrophe. Over 66,000 Palestinians have been killed, entire districts have been reduced to rubble and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee under relentless bombardment. Starving children are murdered while they wait for food. We have genocide and we have man-made famine. I say "man-made", but they are not men; they are monsters. Ireland…
There is a group of elderly people outside the Dáil at the minute on hunger strike. They are survivors of institutional abuse and have very modest requests regarding access to a HAA medical card and a pension. These requests were refused by Government during the discussions on the recent legislation. There are concerns for this vulnerable group across the political divide but also by the Special Advocate and by the J…
17. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on climate action, environment and energy will next meet. [50084/25]
There is a major issue with the retrofitting schemes that are in place. On the one hand, as the Climate Change Advisory Council states, the funding supports for heat pumps are not sufficient and this locks many people out of access to a heat pump. On the other hand, a heat pump is not a practical or feasible solution for many homes, in particular one-off rural homes. Very many people are locked out of access to a hea…
There are widespread concerns in relation to this new set of guidelines for the review of SNA allocations, specifically, the narrowed criteria and rigid timelines. The application window now for school-led reviews is limited for a six-week period from 15 September to 24 October and excludes mid-year needs, and there is the issue of unification and redeployment risks. SNA allocations are now unified across mainstream …
I have the guidelines in my hand. They need to be withdrawn, because what the Minister of State has said and what we heard at the committee yesterday from the Department are directly contradicted by what is in the guidelines. The guidelines give rise to real concern because they state:
NCSE reviews are conducted on a whole school needs-based analysis, To be clear, this can include mainstream and special class alloca…
I move:
That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to make provision whereby the Minister for Education shall make regulations governing the implementation of an affordable school uniform policy in schools; and for this purpose, to amend the Education Act 1998.
I welcome the opportunity to introduce the Education (Affordable School Uniforms) Bill 2025 along with Deputies Ó Laoghaire and Clarke. I tha…
I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."
I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important subject. This year is not just another episode in a long-running saga of Government failure on school transport. This year represents a new low. In addition to the usual annual debacle, never before have we had the situation on such a scale where tickets were issued and routes confirmed but, at the eleventh hour, in some cases the day before school was due to start…
For too long Government policy on migration has been a story of reaction, crisis and abdication of duty. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have allowed our system to be dictated by profiteers and unchecked market forces, utterly failing communities and those seeking protection alike. Our international protection system, for example, is not fit for purpose. Decisions and appeals still take far too long, enforcement is weak or…
I move:
That Dáil Éireann:
notes that:
— the right to education is a fundamental right for every child, as enshrined in the Irish Constitution and international conventions;
— despite two Dáil motions in 2025 calling for the provision of appropriate school places for every child with additional needs in their locality, the Government has rejected these calls;
— the Minister for Education has, to date, repeatedly…
I want to start my concluding remarks by saying that some of the utterances from Deputy Danny Healy-Rae were ignorant, ill-informed, insensitive, offensive and disgusting. He should withdraw them. They represent the height of ignorance.
The debate, otherwise, was important. It is incredibly frustrating. I say that on my behalf and on behalf of anyone with an interest in this matter. The term "gaslighting" was used. …
I mentioned FUSS Ireland and the Equality in Education group, but across the length and breadth of this State, parents are fighting for their children. That should be leveraged. The Minister of State should work with them and deliver for them.
I will, thanks.
78. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children identified by the NCSE by the February deadline who have yet to be offered a school place for September 2025; the total number of children now with a recommendation for a special class or special school place who have not been offered a school place for September; to outline her efforts to ensure that all children with additi…
Will the Minister tell the House the number of children who were identified by the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, by the February deadline and are yet to be offered a school place for September 2025? What is the total number of children now with a recommendation for a special class or special school place who have not been offered a school place for September? Will the Minister outline her efforts to e…
The Minister will guess what my supplementary question is going to be. It will be the same as my initial question. It will be the same question that was put to John Kearney, the head of the NCSE, at the committee's meeting on 2 July, to the Minister of State at the committee's meeting on 18 June and to the Minister at the committee's meeting on 12 June and in the Dáil on the same day during Question Time. The Ministe…
I am frustrated on my behalf, as a public representative, and on behalf of parents who are waiting to places for their children. They feel like they are being gaslit because the figures are not being spelled out. They do not know where they stand in terms of the system. It feels like a co-ordinated omertà in the context of the failure to release those figures.
There are a number of legal cases against the State rega…
80. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children who applied and paid on time who were refused places on school transport in September 2024; the specific changes that will be made to the school transport system in the 2025-26 school year, in comparison with 2024-25, to ensure that all children who want to avail of the scheme are accommodated; and if she will make a statemen…