It is worth clarifying that we know the difference between an ISDS system and an investor court system. There is not much of a difference. The investor court system really formalises the previous ISDS system, but in effect they do the same thing. We have had this at committee. It was an absolute disgrace that we did not have pre-legislative scrutiny on this. It was remiss of me to not commend Lynn Boylan on the brief…
TDs / Duncan Smith
Duncan Smith
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
547
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
93,576
words spoken in the chamber
Across 293 contributions
361
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
162
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 547 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 293 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 12 | 2 |
| February 2025 | 40 | 11 |
| March 2025 | 46 | 10 |
| April 2025 | 34 | 16 |
| May 2025 | 27 | 14 |
| June 2025 | 31 | 19 |
| July 2025 | 19 | 13 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 34 | 8 |
| October 2025 | 31 | 23 |
| November 2025 | 24 | 31 |
| December 2025 | 17 | 18 |
| January 2026 | 16 | 16 |
| February 2026 | 34 | 18 |
| March 2026 | 19 | 14 |
| April 2026 | 25 | 9 |
| May 2026 | 41 | 30 |
| June 2026 | 51 | 12 |
| July 2026 | 15 | 11 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 12 | 9 |
| October 2026 | 19 | 9 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 187 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 Dublin Fingal East 29 November 2024 to now
- party Labour Party 29 November 2024 to now
I move amendment No. 4:
In page 3, to delete lines 14 to 18.
I move amendment No. 11:
In page 4, to delete lines 3 to 13.
This amendment would delete subsection (2) of the new section 25A, to be inserted to the Arbitration Act 2010 under section 4 of the Bill. The purpose of the amendment is to allow us time to consider whether subsection (4)(2) of the new section 25A is compatible with agreements such as CETA. If CETA or any other international agreement like it was to be r…
We did not have much time to debate this even on Committee Stage. The Minister of State accused us of putting forward hypotheticals to scaremonger even though we are basing them on a number of cases that have taken place internationally. He has constantly told us that X, Y and Z have to happen, ultimately this is really rare and probably will not happen anyway so what is the big worry but this is going to happen. The…
It is unacceptable, after three weeks, that the Taoiseach is not having Leaders' Questions, Taoiseach's Questions or Questions on Policy or Legislation when we need scrutiny more than ever, given what we have had over the past week. It is utterly unacceptable. It is absolutely unprecedented that all we are going to have today is a proper spectacle when we should be having accountability.
71. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether she supports the calls from Colombian President Gustavo Petros for states to invoke Resolution 377, the UN’s uniting for peace mechanism in relation to Gaza; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22633/26]
Staying with the issue of Gaza, I accept the Minister's point that we all want to work together and make progress towards peace but what we have now is Trump's odious, so-called Board of Peace, which is anything but that. Would the Minister and the Irish State support the calls from the Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, for states to invoke UN Resolution 377, the UN's uniting for peace mechanism in relation to Gaza…
I thank the Minister. I am fully aware of the limits and obligations of the uniting for peace resolution. However, we are in a desperate situation. The ceasefire is Gaza is a ceasefire only in name. Bombardments continue. People continue to be killed daily. Aid continues to be blocked. Earlier this week, three planned UN convoys to collect supplies from the crossing had to be cancelled after the Israeli authorities i…
That is what I want. What is the Irish Government's position on the Board of Peace? Are we in favour of it? Are we backing this board or are we remaining silent and seeing what, if anything, it manages to achieve? It seems we are paralysed in terms of calling it out.
The Government needs to support Resolution 377 A at the UN. We need to pass the occupied territories Bill in full. Deputy Ó Laoghaire articulated that …
I move: “That the Bill be now read a Second Time.”
I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Alan Dillon. I acknowledge his endurance this afternoon after taking eight Topical Issue matters in advance of this debate. I also thank Edel O'Shea, a constituent of mine, who worked with me on this Bill. I thank the Irish Cancer Society, which as many of us in this Chamber will know has always been fantastic with providing dat…
I am deeply disappointed by the response. We believe the Organisation of Working Time Act is the correct legislative mechanism for this. What makes this different from carer's leave, maternity leave or paternity leave is that this is a short period of leave of no more than a day, sometimes a morning. This is not extended leave. This is not leave for weeks or months. The Minister of State feels differently. That is ve…
I thank Deputy Kelly for bringing this motion forward today. It is very important. One of the biggest failures of successive governments has been the failure to invest in our gardaí, Garda resources and Garda stations. It is an absolute scandal and it is vitally important we are talking about this today.
Our Garda numbers are very far down. I will talk about road traffic gardaí in a few moments but if we look at the…
I will pick up on what my colleague, Deputy Ahern, was speaking about. We are living in an era in which shock events are becoming more regular due to irrational, unpredictable and, quite frankly, dangerous leadership among the big powers. The world's reliance on fossil fuels has become the source of global conflict. The ultimate impact of this is not only that it causes deaths in those regions where the wars are taki…
I register my utter dissatisfaction with how business is being operated. Eight minutes before we were due to sit today, we got a new agenda that will give us just an hour to discuss the financial resolutions on the only thing that people have been talking about over the past couple of weeks. It is utterly unsatisfactory and we register huge objection.
The Taoiseach, like me and probably many people in this Chamber, probably learned to swim in a local authority or community pool. Fingal has no local authority pool. The closest we have to one is the not-for-profit pool provided by Portmarnock Sports and Leisure Centre. Due to extensive works needed for the pool roof, the pool is closed indefinitely. This is not only threatening jobs and the viability of the leisure …
And vital.
Before I discuss the issue of the Middle East, I preface my comments with reference to the consular response to our citizens who have been stuck, indeed trapped, in the Middle East. Our consular response has been really good. We need to remember our missions are not set up or orientated towards the mass evacuation of citizens or people stuck in transit. There will be difficulties and we hope people will remain safe. …
I welcome the fact the Minister of State from the Department of Education and Youth is here to take this Topical Issue. As the Minister of State knows, I represent Dublin Fingal East. It is a rapidly growing area, with house building in east Fingal, and all towns are growing rapidly. This is good and we need houses. With this come a lot of young families and pressure on local infrastructure. This is not a new issue t…
It is difficult to find some comfort in the Minister of State's response for my constituents in Portmarnock. The current school year was bad because some students missed out and had to travel awkward distances to other schools for placement. Based on projections, it seems very likely that some siblings will not get into St. Marnock's National School in the coming year. That information is from good sources and the si…
The Tánaiste will be aware that this is Eating Disorders Week. He will also be aware of the relentless work my colleague Deputy Sherlock has done and continues to do in this area. Yesterday, I attended the most impactful presentation I have ever be at in my many years on this campus. The presentation was made by Cared Ireland in the audiovisual room. Cared Ireland is a voluntary organisation that represents parents a…
Many years ago, there were perhaps some indications or factors that may have made people more prone to homelessness, be it addiction, familial breakdown or economic background. That is no longer the case, as all of us know. Homelessness is like an illness; it can strike anyone at any time, particularly if they are a renter or renting in this country. If someone came into my clinic or any other Deputy's clinic 18 mont…
The chaos this Government has inflicted on SNAs, parents and children countrywide has been absolutely appalling. I, like many, have listened to the Minister in this Chamber and on the national airwaves, but after a week of listening I am still not sure Ministers even know what their position was. Parents do. SNAs do. Schools do. They know that the Government rushed through a review with no real consultation, and seem…
We are long overdue a debate on football in this country, not because of what happened in Oriel Park on Friday night, which, I trust, the league and the clubs will be able to handle, but because of the vengeful, over-the-top collective punishment response from the Minister, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan to that issue-----
-----which portrayed an anti-football bias in the Minister that I hope is not reflected in the Government.
We need a debate on it.