As the Tánaiste is aware, the nature of national security has fundamentally changed.
We are no longer talking solely about traditional military threats but, rather, hybrid threats, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, energy security, technological vulnerability and foreign interference. The world has moved at pace, from the war in Ukraine and the instability in the Middle East and particularly in Gaza, right thr…
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
The Tánaiste has outlined the issues quite succinctly and well. One thing to bear in mind as well is whether the strategy will incorporate external expertise to ensure that it reflects best international practice. That is not necessarily expertise from the private sector. We would be looking to our partners in Europe specifically, and then obviously to our Canadian and American partners, when it comes to the protecti…
I wish to raise a matter of urgent importance affecting communities across Kildare North, that is, the sustained and worsening failure in water infrastructure, particularly in Celbridge, Leixlip and Maynooth. For far too long, families in estates such as Primrose Hill, Temple Manor and The Grove in Celbridge have been forced to endure weekend after weekend of drastically reduced water pressure. Constituents have told…
I want to outline how the communications on burst water mains happens in Kildare. I will pick Maynooth as an example. I was a councillor there for close to 11 years before being elected to this House. I could get a call at 2 o'clock in the morning from a resident in a housing estate or from the local fire service telling me there is a burst water main. I then had to get on to Irish Water and the county council. After…
I welcome Ireland's associate membership of CERN and, like others, I would encourage our moving towards full membership. I acknowledge the work done in this regard by the Minister, by Deputy Malcolm Byrne and by the previous Oireachtas. We really need to focus on the many positives coming out of this. The most important thing to bear in mind is that we get far more out of our associate membership than we put into it.…
7. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach to report on his attendance at the recent European Council. [27219/25]
23. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach to report on the recent work of the Economic and Social Research Institute as part of the shared island initiative. [22483/25]
I acknowledge the progress made this year to date. The CSO has announced 5,938 home completions happened in quarter 1 of 2025, which is the second highest first quarter since the series began in 2011, and that apartment completions in quarter 1 of 2025 were up 13.4% on quarter 1 of 2024. Many more apartments need to be built and I hope the announcements being made will increase the number being built.
Regarding the …
90. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will detail the way in which the new accelerating infrastructure task force will address persistent delays and cost overruns in major public projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27773/25]
The new accelerating infrastructure task force is a welcome move to tackle delivery delays and cost overruns in major public projects such as the national children's hospital, MetroLink and thousands of social and affordable homes that are delayed or over budget. The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has noted that our infrastructure delivery is 25% below European norms. How will the task force overcome these systemic ch…
The appointment of 12 experts to the taskforce, including from the ESRI, the NTA and IDA Ireland, is encouraging. Its focus on high-impact reforms and boosting productivity is crucial. With construction productivity around 30% lower than our European peers and an estimated shortfall of 80,000 workers, delivery risks falling short, according to the CFI. Will the Minister outline which specific reforms the taskforce wi…
It is encouraging to hear about engagement with the private sector on the taskforce. With €165 billion committed under the national development plan, delivery must keep pace with ambition. How will the taskforce work with industry to close workforce gaps and improve productivity, to which Deputy Byrne also alluded? Would the Minister consider establishing dedicated delivery units within agencies to ensure a focused, …
10. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [27217/25]
We all welcome the postponement of the 50% tariffs from 1 June to 9 July by the US. What are the Government's plans to accelerate talks and avoid escalation of the transatlantic trade war? I appreciate that it is an EU competency but how does the Government plan to feed into that?
21. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [27218/25]
Last Wednesday, we had statements on the situation in Gaza and Palestine and since then there has been a continuation of indiscriminate bombing and targeting of civilians. Consideration is being given by the EU to the EU-Israel trade agreement and last week, the Taoiseach mentioned in the House that a memo would be brought to the Cabinet on the occupied territories Bill. Is the Taoiseach in a position to update the H…
I congratulate the Minister on his elevation to Cabinet. As a constituency colleague, it is great to see him in that brief. He has hit the ground running, and I have no doubt that the rest of his term will be a success. I wish him well.
We know from the IUA that half of the equipment in third level institutions is more than ten years old and that a third is more than 15 years old. How does the Minister plan to moder…
In March 2025, the IUA stated, "increased public investment in research is the best way to protect the Irish economy from external threats such as US tariffs," and what is happening in an international context. I welcome the Minister's commitment to not just funding third level institutions but also modernising those institutions.
As a follow-up question, when does the Minister envisage that funding will be availabl…
I will give some time back to the Minister in order to allow him to finish his point. I acknowledge the President of Maynooth University, Eeva Leinonen, for her work there and as chair of the IUA. I am keen to hear from the Minister in terms of what his timeline is. I appreciate that any scheme like this cannot be just a once-off; it needs to be continuous because of the rate of change and development in all areas of…
I speak not only in condemnation but in deep outrage at what we are witnessing in Gaza. More than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed over the past 19 months, children have been bombed in their homes, hospitals and shelters, starved due to the denial of aid and treated as pawns in a brutal campaign that flies in the face of every principle of international humanitarian law. Entire families have been wiped out in a m…
County Kildare has the lowest rate of community-based childcare facilities, with three in total and only two of those in Kildare North, one of which is Maynooth University Crèche. To give a sense of how long it has been there, I attended it myself. This is in spite of 48% of childcare services having waiting lists in Kildare. I have raised multiple parliamentary questions about this. However, in the programme for Gov…
Like others, I acknowledge an incredibly brave and courageous young person at the gates of Leinster House when it is lashing rain - Cara Darmody. She is protesting outside not for herself but for her brothers and thousands of children throughout the country who are being denied timely assessments of supports. Cara's strength is extraordinary. Her message is one that we in this House must listen to. That message is th…
The statements today from around the country have been quite insightful. Naturally many Deputies here are extremely frustrated with the delays they are seeing in their constituencies. In Kildare North, for example, 4,024 people are waiting for a driving test. That is up from 3,303 last year, which is 691 more for the same time period. We are also told that the national average waiting time in March 2025 stood at 24.1…
Tá an-áthas orm an deis a bheith agam labhairt ar an mBille tábhachtach seo. Is céim chun tosaigh agus chun cinn í an reachtaíocht seo a neartóidh ról an údaráis i saol sóisialta, cultúrtha agus eacnamaíochta ár bpobal Gaeltachta.
Mar urlabhraí Fhianna Fáil nua ar an nGaeilge agus ar ghnóthaí Gaeltachta, fáiltím roimh an sprioc atá ag an Rialtas struchtúr an údaráis a nuachóiriú agus níos mó daonlathais a thabhairt …
124. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Health her plans to improve diagnostic pathways and invest in infrastructure to meet target treatment times outlined in the national cancer strategy and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24135/25]