I ask the Minister to outline the progress in resolving the employment issues of personal assistants, an issue we have dealt with previously. He has met with me and a number of these personal assistants who work in ETBs and further and higher education centres. What is the timeline for when the issue is expected to be resolved? Will the Minister make a statement on that matter now? I am aware that a WRC proposal is i…
TDs / Ruairí Ó Murchú
Ruairí Ó Murchú
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
1,135
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
176,932
words spoken in the chamber
Across 897 contributions. Plus 338 contributions from the chair, not counted
413
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
246
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 1,135 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 897 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 10 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 33 | 33 |
| March 2025 | 24 | 23 |
| April 2025 | 29 | 57 |
| May 2025 | 38 | 75 |
| June 2025 | 33 | 69 |
| July 2025 | 205 | 34 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 203 | 23 |
| October 2025 | 31 | 50 |
| November 2025 | 51 | 85 |
| December 2025 | 41 | 68 |
| January 2026 | 68 | 54 |
| February 2026 | 37 | 56 |
| March 2026 | 36 | 45 |
| April 2026 | 48 | 55 |
| May 2026 | 62 | 53 |
| June 2026 | 67 | 31 |
| July 2026 | 58 | 36 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 33 | 22 |
| October 2026 | 28 | 28 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 581 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 Louth 29 November 2024 to now
- party Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
I thank the Minister. We definitely will. The stakeholders are the Department, the education and training boards, and Fórsa on behalf of the workers. This issue has been ongoing for considerable time. I took it to the Tánaiste when he was Minister for further education. An element was dealt with in that the pay rate per hour was improved. It was a considerable percentage because it was a very low base. The big thing …
We all realise the supports that are required, from reasonable accommodation to assistive technology. In some cases, students need added supports such as personal assistants. I do not see it as something that is changing. I accept that it creates a difficulty given that a proposal is in front of workers at the minute. I will deal with the Minister offline about that. There will be issues with pay and conditions, but …
That is absolutely necessary. We will need to sort this out, particularly for personal assistants in DIFE, Ó Fiaich, Cavan and beyond.
I also commend Deputy Kenny on bringing this forward. It goes without saying that on some level, there should not actually be a need for a conversation in here. Everyone is always worried when they see we are kicking the can down the road. I hope there will be a proper attempt to address this issue. Forget the politics, which can occur from time to time in here. Obviously, I never partake in that and am always very c…
The question is: where is the just transition? The people out there do not feel it and do not see it. I do not know how many times I have used the term in here. We talk about Ireland being a wind superpower but that is all we are talking about. We will talk about the difficulties that arose when switching from developer-led to planning-led systems but the fact is that we have not been able to fundamentally make use o…
It is an absolute disgrace that the EU is not suspending the EU-Israel association agreement. We just have to do the bit we can do, and that is the occupied territories Bill. There is genocide, ethnic cleansing and colonisation, whether we are talking about Gaza, the West Bank or now in Lebanon.
The illegal war by the US in Iran has had a detrimental impact on us here. It is not life and death but it is having a hug…
These are extraordinary times.
I think everyone in here wants to see a reduction in the number of people actually smoking. I do not think anyone is against that. Do we know, individually, the point of view of people who have used vapes? I get that the jury is out but I refer to some element of harm reduction and the point of view of them getting themselves off it. That has to be facilitated. We should be absolutely united in ensuring we are bannin…
The issue of child poverty can be exacerbated by disability. I want to bring up the case of 14-year-old Harry. He is non-verbal and has been diagnosed with ASD, ADHD and general moderate learning disability. He has been in University Hospital Limerick, UHL, since 30 March. He is in a state of extreme distress and is engaging in daily self-injurious behaviour. He is confined to a single hospital room under 24-hour sup…
No, it is in Limerick. Deputy McGettigan gave me the details and I can send them on to the Taoiseach afterwards.
I was contacted by somebody, like the Taoiseach, who might have an interest in the all-Ireland final on 19 July, before anyone mentions the county I am from, which is doing quite well at the moment. The fact is that the free travel option they would have on the basis of their disability was not available in the rail options that were open to them. They wanted this highlighted as a point.
I agree with Deputy Conway-W…
It was about all-Ireland tickets for the person who could not get the free travel option for the all-Ireland final date. They have tried to book it but they are not able to get the free travel option.
Exactly. They are getting ahead of themselves, but you know-----
There may be.
No, it is-----
No, but these are not even the extra services that are put on. Usually this would be available but it is not available. The other thing was the guy with the spinal injury.
No. The guy with the spinal injury has been knocked out of the taxi industry because he has to buy a wheelchair-accessible vehicle and he is not able to operate it. I understand how this has happened. I will send it on. It is an unintended consequence.
This Government and this State do not cherish all the children of the nation equally when it comes to education. We are here discussing appropriate school places, inclusive education and ensuring that children have the correct supports they require. Unfortunately, we keep having this conversation because there is a continuity of failure to deliver. I will start with one example, but we could all probably list 50:
Hi…
Tá ceist Uimh. 120 in ainm an Teachta Carthy á glacadh ag an Teachta Bennett.
Tá muid ag dul ar aghaidh go dtí Ceist Uimh. 123. Tá sé in ainm an Teachta O'Dea, ach tá an Teachta Daly á ghlacadh ar a shon.
Tá ceist Uimh. 127 in ainm an Teachta Ardagh á glacadh ag an Teachta Daly.
I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case:
Deputy Emer Currie - To discuss the need for a competitive funds industry in Ireland.
Deputy Albert Dolan - To discuss battery energy storage systems and solar planning guidelines in rural Ireland.
Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan - To discuss the capacity of child…
The reality is that this Government is not into listening, and there is no confidence out there. It should be very worrying for the Government if any of them were on the protests. We had supporters of Independents and some people who probably never voted before, but also a huge number of people who would have supported the Government partners over generations. You could feel the anger of people who felt they had been…
I agree with Deputy Byrne when he spoke about firefighters and the need to be able to work beyond 62. A firefighter, a retained station officer, spoke to me recently and I think he has written to the Taoiseach. He is about to turn 62, so that is an issue we need to resolve.
I want to bring up the issue of Scoil Bhríde in Sheelagh. I was in it in the last while. It has been engaging with the Department for a number o…