I thank the Minister of State. Fair play to anybody who is going to sit through ten Topical Issues. It is a matter of actually getting delivery on some of these issues. This issue is one where you think there must be a simple solution, so it is a matter of us finding that solution. I was sent a letter from the board of management of Ardee Educate Together National School and its principal, Ann Middleton. I was lucky …
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
Louth County Council is almost a facilitator. It speaks to the design team. I raised this issue with the Taoiseach in terms of the need to streamline regulation. We all know the issues that exist in respect of planning. We need a system that can be more agile. While we need checks and balances, that should be possible.
If mistakes are made or issues are seen, they could be addressed in a timely manner. The project c…
It not the council; the Department has a role to play.
4. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach for a report on his recent meeting with the British Prime Minister. [63259/25]
We are coming up to the 50th anniversary of the Dundalk bombing, which happened on 19 December 1975. Dundalk lost Hugh Watters, who was a local tailor and a well-respected man, and Jack Rooney, a fireman and a man who worked for the council. Obviously, this was devastating for their families. A memorial event has been organised by the families. It is going to happen near the courthouse, where there is a plaque, at 6.…
15. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach for an update on his Department's plans to co-ordinate a range of actions aimed at regulatory reform. [63260/25]
We all accept there are huge issues with bureaucracy and red tape in planning. We should have seen simplification and streamlining. Conversations about this are occurring across Europe, but we know about the home-grown issues. It is an issue I have brought up previously, even within the planning systems involving State authorities. For example, Louth County Council is involved in the Ardee Education Together National…
It is possible to get this work done at this time, but if the works continue as planned, the problem will still need to be fixed but it could take more than €100,000, so we need something to be done.
The refusal to change-----
It is not just the council.
In County Louth?
When we are dealing with energy costs, we can start at a fairly obvious place. There are 180,000 in arrears on their gas bills and 300,000 homes in arrears on their electricity bills. That is 13% of households who cannot afford electricity and 26% who cannot afford gas. That is the reality. It would not be difficult for anyone to find out that people are facing severe issues related to this. It is not really shocking…
The Minister of State accepted this is all taking far too long. He accepted that there are huge issues in relation to social housing, appeals and the standards review. We are where we are and we all accept that, as the people who are dealing with crumbling houses have to accept it. Nobody likes legislation that is dropped at the last minute without any possibility of proper scrutiny but, the fact is, if the Minister …
It is hard to believe we are here dealing with this issue.
Sometimes, when a issue comes to a politician it shows the abject failure across the board. In many instances we are talking about individual cases where the State has failed. We are talking about the Coast Guard search and rescue. Ask anybody on the street what that means and they will say it is people who go above and beyond, who are risking everything. We…
De réir Bhuan-Ordaithe 85(2), cuirfear an vótáil siar go dtí an am vótála seachtainiúil, Dé Céadaoin, an 3 Nollaig 2025.
10. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide an update on the recent engagement at EU level on the EU-Israel agreement and the Israeli Settlements (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66658/25]
Go raibh maith agat. I ask the Minister to provide an update on any engagement at EU level on the EU-Israel agreement. We all know the humanitarian conditions that unfortunately have never been employed. We know what Israel has done. We know that maximum pressure and leverage need to be applied. We know that is probably the only reason we have a peace plan, if we can call it that, at this point in time.
I would also…
Go raibh maith agat, agus comhghairdeachas leis an Aire ar a post nua. Straightaway, we can all see there were particular issues in relation to the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and not only in the sense of the particular deal that was really sweet from the Israeli point of view. We talk of these humanitarian conditions but obviously there was absolutely no power in relation to enforcement. Unfortunately, there wa…
Not only do we need the maintenance of the ceasefire and to make sure there are no breaches but we also have to maintain whatever leverage we and the wider international community can on Israel. At this moment, we are somewhat glad it is not engaged in genocidal action but let us be absolutely clear it is determined, at least the regime at this point is, to make sure nobody can deliver justice, freedom, self-determin…
Ar dtús, ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis an Aire Stáit as an bpost nua atá aige. Ádh mór air.
Unfortunately, too many times, we have been in this Chamber while speaking about what we would have assumed was almost in the rear-view mirror of history. However, it seems that whether you look at Gaza, the Russian invasion of Ukraine or what is happening in Sudan, it is geopolitical chaos and could be the ann…
This Topical Issue arises from an ongoing situation in the Louth County Hospital in Dundalk. The ultrasound waiting lists have grown to around 7,000 at the moment. This fits into the parliamentary question Deputy Cullinane got an answer to. That was that we have waiting lists across the State in relation to diagnostic scans of 299,736, of which there are 10,000 children who are on the Children Health Ireland's, CHI, …
I could contest the numbers in relation to the ultrasound waiting lists at Louth County Hospital. I have been told they are considerably higher than ten. At this point, we do not have that one person who was actually working 100% on this and doing what is absolutely necessary from the point of view of due diligence and best practice supervising.
In fairness, I get that the Minister of State is providing information …
I will need an answer in relation to how this decision was made-----
-----and what is going be done in relation to the position that happens now in Louth County Hospital.
Go raibh maith agat. I appreciate that.