I welcome the provision in the Bill to address the gender pay gap. I also welcome the inclusion of first cousins to support DNA identification in the context of institutional burials. Exactly ten years ago, I was cathaoirleach of Galway County Council, which was a very privileged and honourable position to be in. Council officials from the housing, environment and libraries departments, myself and the law agents were…
TDs / Peter Roche
Peter Roche
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
297
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
22,508
words spoken in the chamber
Across 106 contributions
396
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
115
topics asked about
Across 18 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 297 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 106 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 0 | 2 |
| March 2025 | 9 | 2 |
| April 2025 | 3 | 4 |
| May 2025 | 9 | 10 |
| June 2025 | 3 | 1 |
| July 2025 | 4 | 6 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 9 | 9 |
| October 2025 | 9 | 11 |
| November 2025 | 21 | 8 |
| December 2025 | 6 | 6 |
| January 2026 | 18 | 14 |
| February 2026 | 27 | 8 |
| March 2026 | 13 | 0 |
| April 2026 | 15 | 2 |
| May 2026 | 31 | 7 |
| June 2026 | 28 | 2 |
| July 2026 | 60 | 5 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 17 | 2 |
| October 2026 | 15 | 7 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 72 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 Galway East 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
Some of the concerns coming to my constituency office in recent times have been about speeding, particularly on country roads. Since the introduction of the new speed limits on our country roads, one of the things not reflected is the speed limit signage to reflect the changes. Under the Department's guidance, there is supposed to be a speed limit sign every kilometre on a 60 km/h route, every two kilometres on an 80…
Three short words, "I need help". For the person saying them, it might have taken weeks or, indeed, months to find the courage to do so. Before those words, there may have been sleepless nights, panic attacks, anxieties, appointments made and cancelled or a phone held in their hand wondering who to call. When those words finally come, our response matters. Last year in this Chamber, I spoke about people arriving in e…
15. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if his Department has assessed the impact of significant population growth in rural areas, including in County Galway, on policing requirements; and whether consideration has been given to the adequacy of current Garda numbers assigned to these areas in light of increased population levels and service demands. [70638/26]
I thank the Ministers for being here. My question is around Garda numbers in east Galway and Galway in general. Over the last three attestation ceremonies of 700 recruits, Galway only secured four gardaí. I refer to the contexts of population growth, geographic spread, and the numbers of gardaí we received.
I thank the Minister. We in Galway cannot help that people are attracted to our county. The most local stations to me are Tuam and particularly Bearna Dhearg, which is only two miles down the road from where I live. The support we get from both those Garda stations is compelling. Our local garda is a man of the community and a man of the people. He is always there to provide support. I commend An Garda Síochána for t…
It is fair to say that my ask in the question around resources is a result of communities asking me those very questions. As I said, we all depend on the gardaí at some time or another and we are very quick to ring them when we are in trouble. We contact them and get support around a community or family funeral, traffic management around parades and other community celebrations. There are times when it is a little un…
Wrong one.
Last weekend, I happened to be out doing some community events and on three occasions I met three different individuals who are representative of the men's sheds. They all came with the same story about the threat to the funding model that they had and the fear that maybe the funding has ceased for this year. I know that some works were done in the interim but what I want to do, given the outstanding commitment that …
16. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures being taken to ensure school bus tickets are issued in advance of the commencement of the 2026-27 school year; the steps being taken to avoid a recurrence of the delays and capacity issues experienced last year, which resulted in eligible children being left without transport or unable to access existing routes; and if she will make a stat…
Like the Minister, I want to wish our gallant Galway hurlers everything that is good on Sunday, but that is not why I stood up to speak.
I am anxious, given the spate of correspondence coming into my office, about the school transport scheme and how some families find themselves ineligible or refused transport for the next year.
I thank the Minister of State for his response. I get the whole cost of providing transport, but access to education begins with access to transport. For any parent who finds themselves in receipt of a refusal for a bus ticket for next year, it is the most compelling and difficult thing they have to deal with. It is stressful enough without them being told that do not qualify. In most cases, the people that I am talk…
As the Minister of State mentioned, there are instances where students and families have benefited from school transport tickets. There are also many instances where they are not utilised. If there was a formula or mechanism to make sure that only those who need them apply, it would help the situation. I do not know if anyone would be in position to say that they do not want it and will give it back, but if we had so…
I want to put the spotlight on the primary medical certificate and the very rigid rules there are with regard to eligibility. It is fine if a person has a very physical disability; they will qualify. Those who lose eyesight, for example, would not be eligible. The appeals process is also quite complex. Is there any prospect of a review of the scheme? On the backlog of appeals, is there anything to speed up the number…
As the Tánaiste is aware, this is Men's Health Week. Government policy acknowledges or recognises that improving men's health has clear benefits for families, partners and children right across society. A key part of that is the experience of early parenthood. I refer to paternity leave in particular in this regard. A report this week titled Extra Time with Dad shows that Ireland is falling way behind. We provide jus…
The Courts Service owns a building in the heart of Tuam that has been derelict for the past 15 years. As part of the National Development Plan 2018 to 2027, reference was made to the possibility of it being refurbished at the end of that period. We are in the middle of 2026 and there is no sign of that. Dereliction should not be encouraged. In particular, State-owned buildings should not be left in that state right i…
I follow on the same subject. I thank the Tánaiste for his continued engagement when I raised the issue of the summer programme, what was known as the July provision. In my constituency, I had one advocate who was representing ten families that were blocked out of the scheme. The stress, strain and torment that parents had to endure for the last few weeks were unbearable. A window of opportunity of six days was just …
I want to raise once again the question of wind energy guidelines. Last year when I entered this Chamber, I was anxious to understand when the planning guidelines would be updated both for wind energy, the towering tall 185 m high turbines and of course for solar energy.
There was a promise or commitment given that the planning guidelines would be updated and published in the spring of this year. Spring has just sli…
I thank the Minister for this debate on TB eradication, which I welcome. In an earlier response, he mentioned that new TB measures came into place in April. I am anxious to understand the status of the new rules and their implementation.
I get it and I absolutely understand the compassion the Minister has for the emotion, distress and anxiety an outbreak brings to farmers. Sometimes it could be dairy herd. In particular I would like to understand vaccination schemes and programmes. I know we have a vaccination programme for the badger. Are we looking at, or are we anywhere near, a vaccination programme for herds, particularly dairy herds? If there is…
The €6 million fund for preventative measures is most welcome. The compensation ceiling for someone with a pedigree in-calf cow, which we know the value of, is €3,000. Are we revisiting that because they are taking a huge financial loss, as well as the emotional loss and the upset caused as a consequence of the outbreak on that prize animal? I would like to understand whether that is something the Department will con…
I will raise the issue of the provision of public footpaths, and their maintenance, repair and infill. There is no dedicated funding for such within the local authorities. There is active travel funding, roads funding and all of the other streams, which are very often criteria-driven. For example, any engineer who is requested to have a look at the provision of new footpaths, maintenance or repair, the answer receive…
I am glad to have the opportunity to add my voice of thanks to the many nurses around our country. I also give a shout-out to those in the ambulance services who are striking today and want us to do more for them. Strangely, my first job at 16 years of age was in a nursing home during the summer holidays. I never forgot the impact that had on me because I saw the outstanding work the nurses did. It resonated with me …
I welcome the debate we are having today and look forward to two or three years' time when we can say what benefits accrued from it. The real measure will be in the action.
Like previous speakers, before I came into the Chamber, I was listening to a lot of the contributions. They were almost identical right across the line. Rural planning was one area raised, housing was another and funding for councils was also ref…
I want to raise the issue of TB testing, the new guidelines and the action plan. There is considerable confusion about the testing and the movement rules. Constituents are a little bit confused about the categories their livestock fall into in this regard. They are asking that the rules be simplified. The compensation cap of €3,000 is fundamentally important, as a pedigree in-calf cow would exceed much more than €3,0…