The Minister talks about resilience. A third of farmers are making their living off the farm, according to Teagasc, a third are only making a living because someone in the household is working off the farm, and a full third are currently either going into debt or are in poverty. That is an incredible figure. Every year, the number of farmers is reducing in this country. The Minister is saying there will be an extra r…
TDs / Peadar Tóibín
2,463
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
174,842
words spoken in the chamber
Across 959 contributions
356
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
341
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 2,463 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 959 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 1 |
| January 2025 | 17 | 4 |
| February 2025 | 141 | 56 |
| March 2025 | 96 | 68 |
| April 2025 | 126 | 60 |
| May 2025 | 82 | 37 |
| June 2025 | 112 | 42 |
| July 2025 | 136 | 61 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 123 | 35 |
| October 2025 | 90 | 77 |
| November 2025 | 99 | 68 |
| December 2025 | 76 | 51 |
| January 2026 | 125 | 51 |
| February 2026 | 177 | 68 |
| March 2026 | 161 | 38 |
| April 2026 | 159 | 43 |
| May 2026 | 242 | 47 |
| June 2026 | 208 | 59 |
| July 2026 | 95 | 28 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 1 |
| September 2026 | 112 | 29 |
| October 2026 | 86 | 35 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 681 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 West 29 November 2024 to now
- party Aontú 29 November 2024 to now
The problem is that anybody can pick an individual year and say, "This year is above the previous year." The fact is that in the previous year Irish farm incomes were extremely low. In the beef sector they were a fraction of the average industrial wage in this country. Most beef farmers in this country were making a fraction of the average industrial wage two years ago. Plucking last year as an example of movement in…
It is not the same. Why can the Minister not push back against-----
Why can the Minister not push back-----
Why can the Minister not push back against the deal being implemented?
Much of the country is inundated with floodwater at the moment. The Government cannot control the weather, but it can control the delivery of flood defences and the forecasting systems that can protect people in this country. In those two areas, the Government has been a disaster. Two years ago, I asked the Minister for public expenditure the timeframes for the delivery of flood defence schemes in the country. He did…
I can remember a long list of Ministers splashing around floods in their top boots for photographs. I can even remember former Minister Joan Burton falling out of a canoe when looking at a flood system. None of this gives any confidence at all to people who are being inundated at the moment. The Tánaiste talks about the critical infrastructure. My problem with the Tánaiste is that he has been here for 15 years yet if…
I am just saying that everybody should be treated equally.
I am saying it because cars are not being paid for.
Fine Gael used to be known as the farmers' party but those days are well over.
Its MEPs voted against farmers last week in Strasbourg. Today, its Minister for agriculture, Deputy Heydon, when I asked him whether he would use his office to stop Mercosur from being implemented before the European courts make a decision, he stated that he would not and that it was another Department's responsibility.
The Government also refused to hold Bord Bia and its chairperson, Larry Murrin, to account. He has the job of promoting Irish food and I understand he is paid just under €200,000 to do it. Instead of that, he is actually importing Brazilian beef. This is a conflict of interest and the fact that the Government’s judgment does not understand that shows it is compromised on this. It is, "Do what I say, not what I do".
…
Exactly. The Minister said he would not do it.
No. There is no misrepresentation here at all.
The Minister said exactly the same thing to me this morning. He said that it is not his responsibility.
I want the Minister to withdraw the allegation that there was any misrepresentation of his view today.
Can the Minister withdraw the allegation as false?
No.
Will the Minister withdraw the allegation that is incorrect?
They are the ones who are-----
The Minister is doing a disservice here.
I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. Vulnerable children have been treated terribly by the State and it is a dark mark against the Government and the previous Government. There are many good things in the Bill. There are bad things there also and I want to go into detail on them. When it comes to child protection and child welfare, there is no doubt we have to get better in terms of inter-agency communicat…
It is not starting until 4 o'clock.
Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens.
This Government is the worst in the history of the State when it comes to the delivery of infrastructure. In practically every infrastructural space, its projects are either grinding to a halt or going way over budget. For ten years, under this Government, Ireland was at the very bottom of European spending on infrastructure per capita. That is incredible. It is really hard to listen to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs …