I move amendment No. 22:
In page 12, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following:
“(5) A person referred to in subsection (3)(f), (g) or (h) may—
(a) propose to the Chairman, to counsel to the Inquiry, or to the nominated judge any questions or topics that the person considers relevant to the evidence being taken under section 9 or 10,
(b) make submissions or representations to the Chairman, to counsel to the …
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
I move amendment No. 23:
In page 12, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following:
“(5) Without prejudice to subsection (4), the Chairman and counsel to the Inquiry shall be entitled to make submissions or representations to the nominated judge concerning the scope, relevance and permissible extent of questioning under section 9 or 10.”.
This amendment confirms that the chair and counsel may make submissions to …
I move amendment No. 24:
In page 12, to delete lines 5 to 10 and substitute the following:
“(5) For the purpose of giving evidence—
(a) under section 9, a designated person shall not be compelled to give any evidence which he or she could not be compelled to give in criminal proceedings in the State,
(b) under section 10, a designated person may refuse to answer a question only where answering would give rise to …
I welcome the opportunity to speak on this legislation on vapes. For too long, we have allowed a wild west situation to arise because of a simple lack of regulation. We all want to see a reduction in smoking rates but we also want to see proper and real regulations on vaping. For too long, mixed retail units selling vapes have been popping up in every town and village across our State. As I have said in the House bef…
8. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the progress his Department is making in tackling child poverty. [26737/26]
The latest figures on child poverty are showing exactly what we feared. Over a quarter of children aged under 16 are growing up in poverty. The Government has received warning after warning and it did not listen. I want to talk about the Clondalkin Equine Centre in my own area. It is a wonderful place. It is in an area of high deprivation as the Pobal index will tell us. It is like an oasis of calm in a really disadv…
There is no core funding for it at the moment. It is trying everything.
I am aware that the Taoiseach said this morning a memo is going to Cabinet that will call for additional supports for special education. When will we see the details of this proposal? Many schools in my area are waiting for special education supports. Gaelscoil na Camóige, as I have mentioned a few times, has been operating out of prefabs for over 30 years. Currently, the building of the new school alongside the new …
I make no apologies for voting no confidence in this Government last night. It was the right thing to do. There is never a wrong time to do the right thing. It is a pity that some Independent TDs put their own political ambitions before the needs of ordinary workers and families. Ordinary workers and families have lost confidence in the Government. The Government is not listening. It still has not taken the necessary…
What about the flats, Taoiseach?
29. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on justice, migration and social affairs will next meet. [26736/26]
We only have to look at how we got behind Rory McIlroy at the weekend and his back-to-back Masters win to know the Irish people are sports mad. It was an absolutely tremendous achievement but I would argue that nothing lifts the nation like a successful Irish soccer team. It lifts the mood. I congratulate the Irish women's soccer team last night for a wonderful result away in Poland. We also saw how Troy Parrott and …
Gaelscoil na Camóige has been operating out of prefabs for over 30 years. It is a school I know very well as my three children attended it. The building of the school building, alongside the new school for Gaelscoil Chluain Dolcáin, is progressing, and that is welcome. However, the schools were notified that the autism spectrum disorder, ASD, classes will not now be built. The ASD expansion was agreed and given the g…
I thank Deputy Kelly for bringing forward this motion. I listened to him on the radio this morning when I was on my way in and I was in full agreement with him that the further you move away from Leinster House, the fewer gardaí you will see.
High-visibility policing is effective. I have noticed an increase in the visibility of gardaí on the beat in Dublin city and that is to be welcomed. However, as you move out fr…
I will start by giving my two cents, because 2 cent is all the Government believes people who use home heating oil are worth. A scabby cut of 2 cent on home heating oil is insulting. It will save a person €20 on a fill of a tank, a fill that now costs around €1,700. Not only is it scabby; it is also underhanded. Very soon, the greedy hands of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will yank this measly 2 cent back off ordinary pe…
I thank the Minister of State for taking the time to debate this. I welcome the Government's support for the Bill and look forward to debating any amendments on Committee Stage. That is the proper way to do business with the Opposition when a Bill comes forward that the Government does not wholeheartedly agree with because it gives us a chance to discuss amendments.
I thank Senator Ruane for the work she has done to…
I have been contacted by dozens of parents of children attending St. Mary's Boys National School in Lucan. The school has been approved for a project to deliver four mainstream classrooms, five special education rooms and the repurposing of an existing space. Overall, this is welcome. However, parents have raised concerns with me that this will take a section of the school's playing pitch. As the Taoiseach knows, gre…
I have been listening to the debate. I am now the third TD from the Dublin Mid-West constituency to speak on An Post in the past few minutes. We are all on the same page in the area. There is a bit of an issue around the delivery of services in the area. In Dublin in the past ten years alone, 21 post offices have closed.
In addition to the closure of post offices, there has also been a poorer standard for the delive…
Over the years, I got to know Gillian Sherratt and Stephen Morrison quite well as they campaigned for the care of their young son, Harvey. They are an ordinary couple who wanted to bring up and raise their family as best they could, but in an extraordinary situation. They welcomed me into their home numerous times over the years. They are neighbours of mine. I did not know them before this campaign, but I would like …
In the last term, I was a member of the mental health subcommittee and we dealt with the progress of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Act 2022. In fairness, the committee did its due diligence, and we saw some of the issues we are seeing here today in relation to the timelines that were put in place. As we speak today, there are over 1,000 cases outstanding. That means 1,000 people who are currentl…
159. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport his plans for Government investment into the League of Ireland; the efforts of his Department to promote the league; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16771/26]
I will start with some good news for a change. However, it is good news that is tainted by bureaucracy getting in the way of progress. The Government needs to look at the process for having new GP services take on medical card patients. The bureaucratic red tape within the HSE makes this really difficult. I have had this experience over the last couple of years in trying to help a new GP service in Rowlagh. I have be…
I spoke last week about this legislation and how a vacuum leaves a space for bad actors, racists and misinformation to come in. Such a vacuum is caused by the lack of information going into our communities.
In my area, Clondalkin, we have what is probably one of the longest running direct provision centres in the country. It has been there for over 20 years. The fact that we have a direct provision centre in the com…
14. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [10030/26]
We know that early intervention is key in a child's development. There is no earlier intervention than a newborn child receiving a developmental assessment from a public health nurse. According to the HSE, a child should receive a developmental assessment at the first visit, at three months, at nine to 11 months, at 21 to 24 months and at 46 to 48 months. In Dublin Mid-West, we have a postcode lottery of access to pu…