Hear, hear.
TDs / Mark Ward
Mark Ward
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
635
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
86,854
words spoken in the chamber
Across 347 contributions
429
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
148
topics asked about
Across 19 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 635 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 347 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 21 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 40 | 10 |
| March 2025 | 26 | 10 |
| April 2025 | 29 | 13 |
| May 2025 | 43 | 13 |
| June 2025 | 38 | 27 |
| July 2025 | 37 | 17 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 28 | 10 |
| October 2025 | 30 | 21 |
| November 2025 | 49 | 20 |
| December 2025 | 5 | 9 |
| January 2026 | 24 | 23 |
| February 2026 | 40 | 28 |
| March 2026 | 40 | 9 |
| April 2026 | 44 | 39 |
| May 2026 | 25 | 38 |
| June 2026 | 46 | 25 |
| July 2026 | 32 | 15 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 25 | 10 |
| October 2026 | 13 | 10 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 142 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 Mid-West 29 November 2024 to now
- party Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
Earlier this month in Britain, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency announced that new safety measures were being implemented for all patients taking antidepressant medications. This follows the completion of a detailed review involving patients and their families of how the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours are associated with these medications.
Campaigners such as Ms Stephanie McGill-Lync…
I move:
That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to make provisions for the offence of spiking to be considered a standalone offence; to establish toxicology pathways for victims of this offence; and to provide for related matters.
Along with my colleague Máire Devine, I am introducing the Spiking Offences Bill 2026. I thank the advocate groups, Safe Gigs Ireland and Spiking Ireland, for their assi…
I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."
This is a very important piece of work carried out by the committee. I thank the members of the committee and the committee Cathaoirleach, Deputy Carthy, for the work on this report. I also thank the staff and clerks for their tireless work, which does not go unnoticed. Sometimes, from the outside looking in it does, but from within this House it definitely does not go unnoticed. I also thank all the stakeholders for…
The manner in which these motions are being brought before the House is wholly unsatisfactory. Once again Members have been given just two days' notice to consider measures arising from significant EU instruments. Once again, we are told they must be dealt with as a matter of urgency. This approach does little to inspire public confidence. It helps explain why many people feel disconnected from the decision-making at…
The tragedy that was inflicted on an innocent family in Waterford must not go unanswered. I also offer my sincerest condolences to everybody impacted by this attack.
Drug debt intimidation, open drug dealing and gang-related violence have no place in our communities. The people who are doing this offer nothing to our communities. They suck the lifeblood out of them, and they have no place whatsoever in them.
I list…
It has been a while since I had the opportunity to speak to the Minister of State directly on mental health. I acknowledge the work she has done on progressing the Mental Health Act. It could have been better in some respects but it is a lot better than what was there beforehand. I acknowledge that it is a step forward.
I spoke to Deputy Clarke before this debate. I could have gone back to a speech I gave five years…
Dublin has a long-standing cultural tradition of proper urban horsemanship. Horse-drawn carriage rides are a well-known part of the south inner city and in and around the Liberties. It goes back centuries. In fact, I was going through the 1911 census and I was very surprised but delighted to see I had relations back then who were horse-drawn carriage drivers in and around Dublin. It is disappointing to see this tradi…
I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."
Irish citizenship is something to be valued. It represents membership of our nation, carries rights and responsibilities and should reflect a genuine and lasting commitment to Ireland. When I first heard the Government was looking to change citizenship rules I thought it was just a smokescreen to hide its failures on migration in general, and nothing I have heard since has led me to change my mind. The Government is …
I thank the Minister of State. Sinn Féin welcomes legislation that will provide greater protections against strategic lawsuits against public participation, SLAPPs. The judicial system is a foundational pillar of the State and society. As with any such pillar, that there is faith and confidence in its fairness as to how it operates, but also that it operates consistently and without favour, is of paramount importance…
The Government wants people out of cars and on to public transport, and I agree with that. I have no issue with it whatsoever. In theory, it is good, but in practice, it is simply not working. To encourage people out of cars, the first thing that needs to be done is to make public transport more accessible. The last thing that needs to be done is increase the cost of public transport in the middle of a cost-of-living…
I welcome that Government MEPs and Senators are finally starting to speak out about the dangers and harms of nitrous oxide. I hope Government will start supporting my legislation. My Bill is due to undergo pre-legislative scrutiny in November, following a nine-month delay imposed by the Government. In those nine months, we have had 14 cases of spinal cord damage in Beaumont Hospital and €3 million spent on storage of…
Parents being left waiting for assessments of need for their children is a huge issue in my area. To me, what the Government is trying to do here today is typical smoke and mirrors. It is going back to its usual three-card trick by moving children from list to list without them getting the proper therapies that they need at the end of it. I represent the same constituency as the Minister of State with special respons…
The majority of the provisions in this Bill are procedural, and, as Deputy O'Reilly said already, we will not oppose them. However, section 8 of this Bill must be removed. It must be made explicitly clear that a person should have access to any service available without using a public services card other than the Department of Social Protection. This must reflect the current legal position arising from the agreement …
I welcome the opportunity to speak on road safety. It is an issue and concern for so many people. We have seen the recent horrific incidents on the M50 and the M9. Such is the fear in this regard that we have had reports since then of 75,000 fewer people taking the motorways in recent weeks.
I too am a member of the justice committee. This week, we heard from members of An Garda Síochána. They confirmed to us that t…
13. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on justice, migration and social affairs will next meet. [65610/26]
Yesterday at the justice committee, we heard that not one garda in the State is trained in pursuit driving. We heard this from the AGSI, the GRA and Garda management. In 2026, I find this absolutely shocking. From speaking to members of the public after yesterday’s meeting, they also find it absolutely shocking. During the meeting, one of the Garda representatives pulled out a policy document from 1988 which stated G…
Sinn Féin welcomes the fact the Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill 2026 codifies Garda use of powers of stop and search, arrest, searches, seizures and detention. This was proposed by the Commission on the Future of Policing in 2018 and should not have taken this long to be implemented. The debate on this Bill is taking place at a time of new revelations in relation to the treatment of whistleblowers in An Garda Síochána d…
Dublin.
Last week, the Dáil debated Irish unity during Opposition time and today, the conversation continues on Government time. This is a welcome and positive step.
The conversation about our constitutional future is moving forward and it is right that the Government begins the serious work of planning for constitutional change now. Across Ireland, more and more people are engaging in this discussion and asking what a unit…
I thank Deputy Sherlock for bringing forward this legislation to bring bin collections back to public control. I am disappointed but not surprised that the Government is opposing this legislation. Fine Gael has a long history and policy of privatising public services. It has not worked in housing, water or transport and it definitely has not worked in waste management. By his own admission, the Minister of State know…
19. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Taoiseach for an update on the implementation of the Dublin city task force report. [49325/26]
I thank the Taoiseach for his update on the future of the GPO. As he knows, the GPO is a historic building in the centre of our capital city. It is where our Republic was declared. It was the central location of the Easter Rising. I know the Cabinet committee met to discuss the future plans for this historic building. I welcome that there will be a public consultation on the future use of the GPO but I want to know w…