School secretaries and caretakers play a vital role. They are the glue that holds our schools together. Despite this, they are denied pension parity and, in the case of caretakers, pay justice. Teresa Cassidy is one such example. Teresa has been the school secretary in Gaelscoil na Rithe in Dunshaughlin, County Meath for 27 years. When she spoke to the Meath Chronicle in recent weeks she said school secretaries just …
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
Right-thinking people are horrified at what they are seeing in Gaza. It is difficult to comprehend the barbarity. It is even more difficult to see it on your TV screen. Right-thinking people are ashamed of their leaders, many of whom are standing idly by as we see the intentional destruction of healthcare by Israel, the obstruction of medical supplies and humanitarian aid, the slaughter of children and the extent to …
We are in the midst of a biodiversity crisis, one which threatens ecosystems, food security and our way of life. The facts are stark. Ireland ranks as one of the worst countries in Europe for biodiversity loss. More than 30% of our bee species are at risk of extinction. Wetlands, which are vital for carbon storage and flood prevention, have declined by 90% in the past century. Despite these alarming facts, the Govern…
To follow on from that point, in respect of my county, Meath, and the lack of capacity in the system, in CDNT 2 covering the Kells area, and CDNT 5 covering the Navan and Slane area, one in four posts is vacant. Those are the best figures. In CDNT 4, covering the Ashbourne and Dunshaughlin area, one in three posts is vacant. In CDNT 6, covering the Trim area, which Deputy Dempsey represents, almost two in three posit…
129. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice his plans to increase funding for and expand youth diversion programmes in County Meath and more generally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23598/25]
I move:
That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 to give the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) the legislative remit to develop a code of practice for water service outages and to amend the Water Services Act 2014 to establish a dispute resolution mechanism for customer complaints regarding service interruptions and outages.
This Bill woul…
I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."
The RSA has a statutory maximum target of ten weeks from the time a learner driver books their test until they are given a date to sit the test. The last time that target was reached was in July 2022, almost three years ago. Since then, as is evident across the State, things have got much worse. There are extended waiting times, a shortage of testers and a system that is failing both those it is meant to serve and in…
I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important issue. I commend the work of Dunboyne College of Further Education and the Youthreaches in County Meath. I am familiar with a number of them, including in Kells and Ashbourne. Along with Deputy Mary Lou McDonald and Councillor Maria White, I visited Laytown-Bettystown Youthreach last Friday and saw the really important work it does to provide alternative pathways i…
I am a TD for the Meath East constituency. As long as I have been there, which is my whole life, a permanent feature has been Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in government here and Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in government in Meath County Council. We have seen nothing but failure in terms of forward planning for critical infrastructure. For as long as I was a county councillor, and since I have been in the Dáil, the issue of…
117. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the number of people issued with a home care package but unable to fulfil it due to staffing shortages, or other reasons, in 2024 and to date in 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23593/25]
I wish to ask the Minister the number of people issued with a home care package but unable to fulfil it due to staffing shortages or other reasons in 2024 and to date in 2025 and if she will make a statement on the matter.
It is significant. It is acknowledged that the figures are always very high. We are talking about millions of hours of home care packages and these are real services and important ones. We must always think about these things, though, in terms of unmet need. The system does not work if these services are not in place. Is there an analysis of whether there are specific geographical challenges and-or challenges with sp…
Yes, I am.
Some things are coming through these figures consistently. There is a pattern within them. I expect this would be the case if we were to look at the geographic variation. I know much of the challenge in CHO 8 concerns the fact that it is very difficult to get staff because it is exceptionally expensive to live in Dublin or the greater Dublin area.
There is then a variation across the State in the demographic and the…
99. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the initiatives he is implementing to promote tourism in Kells, County Meath, to enhance the town’s appeal as a destination for visitors. [22820/25]
111. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the initiatives he is implementing to promote tourism in Meath and enhance the region’s appeal as a destination for visitors. [22819/25]
What initiatives are being implemented by the Minister to promote tourism in Kelly, County Meath, to enhance the town's appeal as a destination for visitors?
I thank the Minister for the response. I acknowledge the changeover of portfolios between Departments. I say to the Minister and his colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, that there is a real overlap between tourism product in Kells, for example, and arts, culture and sport. For example, the Hinterland Festival of Literature and Arts happens at the end of June and includes contributions from the Kells…
The Minister is absolutely right. We look to the monastic settlements, the round tower, the high crosses, St. Columcille's House and the Spire of Lloyd. The Minister mentioned those. There are incredible sites of historic significance. The Minister will know, and I suppose it is the point he is making, that local individuals and communities through their effort and initiative have made so much happen, including GAA, …
No, no, no.
162. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to outline his plans for investment at Gormanston Camp; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17085/25]
Will the Tánaiste outline his plans for investment at Gormanston Camp?
That investment is welcome. It was welcome news in February. It is also welcome that the work is under way. It will be this time next year when it will be ready. Does the Tánaiste have an indication of when it will be operational or the numbers of people that will pass through it? I understand that it is for all units of the Defence Forces to use as a training camp. I wish to get a sense of the level of activity that…
I thank the Tánaiste. As I said, it is a welcome investment. I recognise the security considerations and other considerations, but is there an opportunity for the local community to access, in some shape or form, the likes of those facilities?
We recognise that there are security considerations and other considerations, but if, for example, there were a transition period during which the facilities were not being us…