This is a good budget that realises that many people around this country are facing very real challenges. Not only is the Government able to respond to those challenges in the here-and-now, but we are able to do so in a way that does not jeopardise or mortgage the future of the next generation. I appreciate that at a time when people are wondering about the cost of filling a tank of oil or whether they will be able t…
TDs / Neale Richmond
Neale Richmond
Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
0
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
100,288
words spoken in the chamber
97,626 as a minister, 2,662 as a TD
278
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
The record holds no parliamentary questions from them in this Dáil.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Contributions to debates 265 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Contributions |
|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 8 |
| March 2025 | 46 |
| April 2025 | 4 |
| May 2025 | 4 |
| June 2025 | 8 |
| July 2025 | 9 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 1 |
| October 2025 | 13 |
| November 2025 | 33 |
| December 2025 | 2 |
| January 2026 | 14 |
| February 2026 | 35 |
| March 2026 | 4 |
| April 2026 | 24 |
| May 2026 | 9 |
| June 2026 | 11 |
| July 2026 | 28 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 11 |
| October 2026 | 1 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 161 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Dublin Rathdown 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs 29 January 2025 to 25 March 2025
- office Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 26 March 2025 to now
I thank all the Deputies for their contributions this evening, for the points they have raised and for bringing these important topics to the House.
As set out in the Minister, Deputy O'Brien's, earlier remarks and the counter-motion, the Government is committed to maintaining a sustainable PSO funding model that supports continued network growth, service improvements on public transport, the delivery of BusConnects…
I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. Recent actions against LGBTQI+ organisations and persons in Türkiye are deeply concerning. As he outlined, reports indicate that, since 12 September, the Turkish authorities have launched a co-ordinated operation targeting LGBTQI+ organisations, activists and associated businesses. The operation, called “My Family is Safe” by the Turkish Minister for Justice, is r…
To make it abundantly clear, every person, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic, is entitled to equality, dignity and the full enjoyment of their human rights. Being LGBTQI+, forming an association and defending rights are not crimes and should never be crimes. Ireland remains in full solidarity with LGBTQI+ persons and their allies globally, particularly in Türkiye right now…
I am grateful to Deputy Butterly for raising this very pertinent and personal issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan.
As the Deputy is aware, as part of the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, the Government has committed to the development of a national policy on transitions, which will map out how we support young people completing school into the var…
I am grateful to the Deputy for raising this timely issue. The provision of transitions supports for students in schools is a key priority for the Government, and for the Department more broadly. As outlined, there is a commitment under the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 to work within Government and with others to improve retention rates and progression for disabled children and young p…
I thank the Deputy for her Topical Issue. I am here today on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Heydon, and the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, who are in Brussels on EU Presidency business, to address the associated felling licence process. I hope the response will provide an element of clarity. I will, of course, put the questions the Deputy has placed to the Minister and the Minister of State, and ask for an answer…
I accept the Deputy's requests but I will point out two things that I think are important in order to be helpful. It is important a separate question be put to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage as the management of woodland is a matter for him. Felling licences come under the Department of agriculture. This is exempt from a felling licence, as I laid out in the previous reply, but the management…
I am grateful to the Deputy for the opportunity to update the House on the digitalisation of health records and the progress being made to support patients and healthcare professionals through safer, more connected care, stronger research and innovation and a more sustainable health service. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill.
As Minister of State at the Depa…
I am grateful to the Deputy for his comments, which I will bring directly back to the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill.
As the Deputy is aware, the digitisation of health records is already under way and being delivered in three stages. The HSE health app is designed to provide patients with greater access to their own health information. The national shared care record is connecting data that is already in digital…
I am grateful to the Deputy for raising this pertinent and timely issue. For the benefit of the House, if the Deputy does not mind, I might give a bit of context as requested by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. The microgeneration support scheme, MSS, provides supports to domestic and non-domestic applicants, in the form of grants for solar PV installations, up to a maximum of €1,800 in 2026 for household installations.…
As I have set out, the electricity and gas retail markets in Ireland operate within a European Union regulatory regime wherein electricity and gas markets are deliberately commercial, liberalised and competitive. Responsibility for that regulation of the electricity and gas markets, including in the context of the CEG, is solely a matter for the CRU.
Regarding the development of tariffs under the CEG arrangements, t…
I am grateful to Deputy Ó Murchú for raising this once again. I welcome the comments by his party leader this week when she declared that this is a great State and a great place to live in. It makes a welcome change from most other days of the week. There is a considerable amount of preparatory work going on from political parties across the spectrum. The Deputy referenced our own work in Fine Gael, but also the work…
No.
It removes landmines for children.
It trains people to remove landmines.
I thank all the Deputies for their contributions to this important regular debate, particularly those who have placed very pertinent questions that I will try to answer as thoroughly possible in the time available to me.
I will start with the issue of Irish unity and how Europe relates to that as raised in questions by Deputies Ó Laoghaire, Ó Murchú and Gould and, indeed, in their party leader's opening intervention…
It is the same with every medicine, treatment or equipment used in medical advice. It gets approved on a European basis and then has to be approved. It is just like when we pass legislation at a European level, it has to be transposed into domestic legislation. I take the Deputy's point, however, that it is not quick enough. When other member states are doing it quicker than us, that is something we need to reflect o…
I will make a few concluding remarks to follow on from some of the points made by the Taoiseach in his opening iteration because in his 20 minutes he did not cover them all.
In regard to the items discussed at the June European Council meeting, as we just finished off on the crucial issue of European defence, it was revisited at the meeting and leaders took stock of progress on the implementation of the defence read…
Yes. As Deputies Ó Laoghaire and Smith alluded to, we went through this in quite a bit of detail on Committee Stage and I recognise that as such. It is very much the firm opinion of the Government that such amendments are not required. For the benefit of the House, I will go through the reasons for this.
First, I want to address the issue of intention, as raised by Deputy Ó Laoghaire. There is no doubt whatsoever th…
The debate on this issue went into quite a bit of technical and hypothetical detail on Committee Stage. It must be stated clearly that the postcodes are very specific. They do not apply to a broad area. It is not the case that the Netherlands and Belgium have decided to go in a different direction. They are in a public consultation phase, which means it is not a fair comparison. There is the 90% covered by the postco…
I acknowledge the presence in the Gallery of Senator Frances Black. I look forward to engaging with her on the legislation in the Seanad next week, all going well. I recall debating with her in the Seanad when she initially introduced her Bill. We sat beside each other.
I will try to address as many points as possible in the time allowed to me, bearing in mind the extensive debate, over a number of hours last week, …
I have no doubt the Deputy was. I was merely a second-year arts student following Deputy Murphy's lead.
In this area, when we talk about what other member states are doing, Slovenia does not have legislation. That is crucial here. I remember sitting with the then Slovenian foreign minister at the Foreign Affairs Council last year. She came up to me and asked, "What are you doing in Ireland? How can we follow your le…
That is mad.
I appreciate the opportunity to come back in. This goes to the very clear place that in the case of goods, a public policy exception exists in EU regulation controlling the importation of goods. This gives the Government the opportunity, on foot of the ICJ opinion, to act in this manner on a domestic footing.
I am taken by some of the language. Deputy Gibney used the terms "sinister" and "weaponising". We have had q…