7. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the criteria applied in assessing projects under the digital public service transformation fund, including the way in which service improvement, efficiency gains and potential for wider roll-out are considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51534/26]
TDs / Naoise Ó Cearúil
Naoise Ó Cearúil
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
919
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
51,027
words spoken in the chamber
Across 276 contributions
407
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
241
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 919 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 276 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 8 | 12 |
| March 2025 | 11 | 25 |
| April 2025 | 50 | 11 |
| May 2025 | 65 | 20 |
| June 2025 | 45 | 24 |
| July 2025 | 38 | 20 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 36 | 15 |
| October 2025 | 83 | 13 |
| November 2025 | 101 | 13 |
| December 2025 | 93 | 14 |
| January 2026 | 69 | 24 |
| February 2026 | 56 | 5 |
| March 2026 | 30 | 10 |
| April 2026 | 83 | 12 |
| May 2026 | 39 | 19 |
| June 2026 | 41 | 13 |
| July 2026 | 28 | 6 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 21 | 4 |
| October 2026 | 22 | 16 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 224 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 Kildare North 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fianna Fáil 29 November 2024 to now
23. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his St. Patrick’s Day visit to the US. [22422/26]
A few weeks ago, we saw the AI company, Claude, switching off its Fable and Mythos models after engagement with the US Government. We are particularly vulnerable in Ireland because many of the public services are aligned with, and using, Microsoft and Copilot, which is AI software. There is a fear that something like what I have mentioned could happen with the likes of Microsoft in the future. I am not saying it will…
Gabhaim buíochas as an deis labhairt ar an mBille seo inniú. As Chair of the AI committee, I think there is some frustration around it. It is mostly procedural. In fairness, the enterprise committee is the statutory committee and it is for that reason that the scheme of the Bill went there for pre-legislative scrutiny. If there was a way that any future Bills or primary legislation would come to the AI committee, tha…
I welcome the opportunity to speak today as we mark Pride and reflect on the progress we have made as a country and, more importantly, the work that still lays ahead. I want to acknowledge my friends, family members and, indeed, colleagues here this afternoon as we mark Pride. It has been said here a few times already but Pride is not just a celebration; it is a restatement or statement of values. It reminds us that …
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as an mBille seo a thabhairt os comhair na Dála. I welcome this Bill and want to start by commending the Minister of State and her officials on the considerable work behind it. As a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence, I have watched this framework take shape and I want to state clearly that its arrival is good news. It puts our implementation of the…
The Government prioritised critical infrastructure in the last budget and we are seeing the benefits of that in Kildare with water infrastructure. However, the management of the projects by Uisce Éireann is extremely poor from traffic to water outages. There have been particular issues in Celbridge, Maynooth, Leixlip and north east Kildare. The difficulty I and communities face involves holding Uisce Éireann accounta…
First, I want to pay tribute to the parents and families of young boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who have campaigned for access to givinostat. I commend them for their work, and I also acknowledge the work of colleagues in this House, such as Senators Teresa Costello and Anne Rabbitte, and Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan, for their work in driving this from a parliamentary perspective. I also acknowledge the Taoisea…
2. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the most recent EU leaders’ meeting or Council. [12978/26]
I believe that the Taoiseach will have the next meeting of EU leaders next week. What will be on the agenda next week? Will the leaders be discussing the suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement?
25. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the revised national digital and AI strategy. [16307/26]
I welcome the progress made to date in relation to the national digital and AI strategy, with the 20 objectives and the 90 deliverables. Things such as the AI skilling platform, AI Ready, are already up and running. We have seen progress made with the regulatory sandbox and the AI office, which is due to open in August. There are a lot of competing demands here and a lot of priorities, including some that are crucial…
I also join in congratulating the Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, on her appointment and wish her the very best as she takes on this important and challenging role.
First of all, I commend Deputy Byrne and thank him for continuing with this legislation. Deputy Byrne had this on First Stage in April 2025. If we think of how far AI has developed in that time, this legislation is needed now more than ever before.
Le…
128. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Defence to outline Ireland's position at the recent meeting of EU defence ministers; the main outcomes regarding Ukraine, the European defence industrial strategy and EU defence co-operation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43590/26]
Having worked in the artificial intelligence space prior to my election to this House, I have seen the amazing pros but also the cons that come with such technology, particularly as agentic technology develops. Basic administrative tasks in the workplace are being taken away from individuals, allowing them to do more strategic and focused work. That should be welcomed. On the other hand, there are roles that are bein…
The roadmap for technology skills of the future, the statement of ambition on digital and AI skills, AI micro credentials and the online platform AI Ready, which was only launched two weeks ago, are all great, particularly in the context of skills. This is not a skill issue, however; this is a worker's issue. It is about stopping people losing their jobs or retaining the jobs they currently hold. Reskilling and retra…
Thinking of a changing world, many of us this afternoon are speaking about AI, and rightly so. However, in Ireland the changing world also means an increase in population and an ageing population. Thankfully, we have the National Training Fund and €650 million of that is for healthcare training. In my hometown, Maynooth, for example, there is now a school of nursing helping to tackle the issue of not having enough he…
I want to highlight a situation facing families in County Kildare following a suspension of the paediatric community assessment tool service in CHO 7. Parents have been told that there are no clinicians available, and ten families have directly contacted me. As a result, children who have already been accepted for an assessment have no clear pathway forward. It is obviously creating worry and uncertainty for families…
19. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on climate action, environment and energy will next meet. [11869/26]
Ireland now has the highest household electricity prices in the EU. They are approximately 40% above the EU average. Households in Ireland are now paying roughly €480 more per year in light of this. When will the updated national energy modelling be considered by the Government, and will nuclear be considered as a part of it? We need to look at all options here to reduce energy prices for families the length and brea…
Kilcock in County Kildare is the fastest-growing town in the county and one of the fastest-growing towns in the country. There was greatly welcome news that DART+ west will be extended to Kilcock, which is extremely welcome. However, the only bus service at the moment is the Bus Éireann 115 service. There have been many issues with it. Previously, Dublin Bus went to Maynooth. I am trying to get across the need for Du…
I acknowledge the work of the Minister of State, the NTA and other bodies in establishing and creating this national safety camera strategy. After a period of improvement and positive trends in relation to road deaths, which were 472 in 1997 and dropped to 137 in 2021, that trend is now reversing. There were 190 deaths in 2025 and 175 in 2024. It is critical that action be taken to improve road safety for citizens ac…
24. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [9937/26]
The EU is reviewing its relationship with Israel due to the ongoing humanitarian conditions in Gaza, the settlement expansion and the International Court of Justice, ICJ, provisional measures. The Commission is reported to be considering targeted sanctions on violent settlers as well as a suspension of trade preferences under the association agreement. Has the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs conside…
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