I thank the Minister of State. I know it is not his direct remit, and I appreciate him coming in and delivering the script, but there is very little information in relation to how many applications people are currently waiting for, and there is no information in relation to numbers waiting in excess of three, six and 12 months. I ask the Minister if State to bring that back in order that the information could be prov…
TDs / Pádraig O'Sullivan
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
1,460
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
54,825
words spoken in the chamber
Across 217 contributions. Plus 80 contributions from the chair, not counted
415
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
267
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 1,460 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 217 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 18 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 62 | 15 |
| March 2025 | 62 | 10 |
| April 2025 | 43 | 10 |
| May 2025 | 47 | 13 |
| June 2025 | 41 | 14 |
| July 2025 | 45 | 21 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 42 | 10 |
| October 2025 | 58 | 9 |
| November 2025 | 87 | 21 |
| December 2025 | 63 | 3 |
| January 2026 | 53 | 14 |
| February 2026 | 37 | 5 |
| March 2026 | 45 | 7 |
| April 2026 | 40 | 14 |
| May 2026 | 195 | 14 |
| June 2026 | 255 | 20 |
| July 2026 | 152 | 6 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 41 | 5 |
| October 2026 | 74 | 6 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 189 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 Cork North-Central 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fianna Fáil 29 November 2024 to now
I do not now how many phone calls I had with the Minister of State during the summer and in previous years about school transport, particularly in rural areas. To be fair, whether due to his good work or by coincidence, many of the problematic routes I referenced in recent years resolved themselves this year. Pending the implementation of the review commissioned by the then Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, my co…
6. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to reduce the cost of childcare; the steps being taken to prevent the closure of early years and crèche services; if there is a timeframe in place to cap childcare costs as per the programme for Government commitment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50181/25]
I acknowledge the massive investment made in recent years. Since the introduction of core funding in 2022, something in the region of €259 million has been allocated. In many constituencies, particularly in suburban areas like mine, we still face a severe lack of childcare places. One of the largest childcare providers in the country closed its doors to the scheme a couple of months ago in Carrigtwohill, east Cork, n…
I think we both got stuck for time when we were trying to address the question. I specifically asked about the Mary Geary set-up in Carrigtwohill. I ask about it because it is the largest provider in Munster, if not the country. We are concerned because there are no alternatives for people who choose to go elsewhere. I asked the Taoiseach about it last week but have still not received a response. We are particularly …
First, I wish to express my condolences to the family of Patrick Gerard Murphy in west Cork. We are actually laying him to rest tomorrow morning. He would have been good friends with many of us here from Cork in particular, especially myself and Deputy Seamus McGrath in that we would have soldiered together on the council with him. He will be sorely missed.
As the Taoiseach knows, Patrick Gerard would have had an ex…
I raise the issue of childcare with the Taoiseach as well. Mary Geary's Childcare is one of the largest providers in the country. It is actually based in Carrigtohill, which is in Deputy O'Connor's constituency, but many of the families who use it reside in my constituency. It has 450 children from 300 families. The parents of those children were recently faced with a fee hike of 34%. This is because the provider dec…
87. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide a list of all capital projects currently under way in Cork city and county, in tabular form; the stages the various projects are at; the amount of capital estimated and spent on each project to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38583/25]
I thank the Minister and I would appreciate a list in writing. The reason I asked the question was not to come in here to backslap and say we were all doing great. I taught for 15 years. I was deputy chair of Cork ETB for five of those, and the rate of capital expenditure has been phenomenal in the past number of years, particularly in Cork. That has to be recognised. We have seen projects in my constituency like the…
I recognise that the Department is always proactive in my engagements with it. As an educator, though, I have concerns, and the Minister may have touched on something there. Cork ETB has a skill set that many voluntary schools would not have. While all schools are not under the patronage of Cork ETB, it has a specific set of skills. It might be worth considering in future that large-scale projects could use the local…
I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, for coming in to take this matter. It relates to dog-breeding establishments. I am looking for details on the number of pups bred in the country every year and the numbers exported. I listed in the text of the Topical Issue I submitted the various bits and pieces I am seeking.
I have dealt with many animal rights groups and charities in recent years. Some of the stuff I…
I thank the Minister of State. I know it is not his Department but I appreciate the figures. I was already familiar with many of them. For example, one statistic was that in 2024, a figure of 8,768 pups were exported. The ISPCA and the DSPCA both estimate that around 40,000 or 50,000 pups were exported. I trust the charities on the ground. As public representatives, when we get a report of a horse, a dog or whatever …
Well done to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. Thank you.
9. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Children and Education will next meet. [33564/25]
We all understand the importance of workforce planning, nowhere more so than in the area of children, education and health. I heard something concerning last week. It was that pay and numbers are yet to be agreed between the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the HSE. TDs like myself come in here every week talking about delays for speech and language therapy and physiotherapy and about the delays in…
103. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will confirm that SOLAS is in receipt of sufficient funding from the State to ensure that it can deliver on its annual service plan and operate accordingly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36974/25]
I thank the Minister for being straight and upfront on the issue. I am glad that he has acknowledged that there is a dynamic between SOLAS and the ETBs and that this is probably an annual thing but there are still issues. If I went on the Internet tonight, I would see that there is allegedly an issue in Donegal. It is reported that there is a shortfall of €2.1 million. In Louth and Meath ETB, with which the Cathaoirl…
If I understand the Minister, some ETBs are deferring. The issue still needs to be dealt with. Are we just kicking the can down the road and, in essence, just leaving the issue for the Minister to solve in the next budgetary cycle? He has said he became aware of this a month ago. Given the numbers of apprentices at the various stages, this should have been identified an awful lot sooner. If the Minister was only made…
I am taking this question in the name of Deputy James O'Connor.
I thank the Minister. I am aware of the scheme he outlined and the number of farmers who have availed of it. It is a very good scheme. The designation of land, land use policy and so on is really a matter for the Minister for local government, but one of the reasons Deputy O'Connor raised this matter with the Minister for agriculture is its potential impact on farming, particularly the dairy sector in the part of the…
The Minister is restrained in what he can say. He is the Minister for agriculture, not energy and communications. I take his point about solar that the Department is providing for rooftops. That scheme is very much welcome. However, we are seeing the landscape transforming in front of our eyes. I took my kids for a walk in Leamlara in east Cork a couple of months back and as far as the eye could see, there was panel …
Over the last number of weeks many ETBs across the country have expressed their concern about funding shortfalls and are saying that they are being squeezed. I have read articles about same related to Louth and Meath ETB and in my own county, Cork City and County ETB has experienced a similar shortfall in funding. I am guessing - the Minister can correct me if I am wrong - that this is related to the increased allowa…
I welcome the Minister to the House to deal with what is, at times, a divisive debate in the country at the moment. I have been listening to the previous speakers and, above all else, the one thing I would ask and expect of people in the House is that we would have an informed debate without the usual scaremongering and hyperbole. Let us just get down to discussing what is contained in the motion.
Since the Minister…
I am sitting here kind of amused though I probably should not be. There is obviously a regional disparity in the investment in rail services. I listened to the contributions of the Social Democrats and there is obviously a Cork bias because the Cork representatives, even within my own party, seem reasonably happy with the level of investment we are receiving. Things in the west are starkly different from what is happ…
I welcome the review. We have been waiting for it for a while. I do not want the House to be in this position again of debating legislation from 2004 and 2005. I do not want to pass legislation that we cannot live up to, as we have done with the assessment of need process. There are timelines in the Act that the State is consistently failing to deliver. Whatever we do with this review, we need to ensure that people c…