Last Thursday the Labour Party released our alternative budget, entitled A Future We Can Afford. It sets out a clear, fully costed, alternative path for our country based on our socialist and social democratic values. It sets out our ambition to develop an active State that will provide a sustainable and affordable future for all. In our budget document we set out our key priorities on energy, incomes and child pover…
TDs / Ivana Bacik
Ivana Bacik
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
680
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
155,109
words spoken in the chamber
Across 888 contributions
423
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
191
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 680 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 888 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 3 |
| January 2025 | 8 | 8 |
| February 2025 | 85 | 81 |
| March 2025 | 28 | 77 |
| April 2025 | 66 | 44 |
| May 2025 | 61 | 58 |
| June 2025 | 67 | 68 |
| July 2025 | 54 | 50 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 31 | 40 |
| October 2025 | 16 | 45 |
| November 2025 | 13 | 46 |
| December 2025 | 13 | 20 |
| January 2026 | 19 | 33 |
| February 2026 | 16 | 56 |
| March 2026 | 36 | 38 |
| April 2026 | 38 | 50 |
| May 2026 | 24 | 56 |
| June 2026 | 36 | 33 |
| July 2026 | 16 | 30 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 1 |
| September 2026 | 28 | 24 |
| October 2026 | 25 | 27 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 804 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 Bay South 29 November 2024 to now
- party Labour Party 29 November 2024 to now
The housing crisis is touching every sector of society. Staff cannot be recruited to keep schools and hospitals running because they cannot afford to live anywhere nearby. Pensions are stretched because older people are forced to rent well into retirement. House prices and rents are soaring. The root of the problem is a lack of supply, but the Government is fuelling the affordability crisis. Its big-ticket measure in…
I welcome our visitors in the Gallery who are campaigning for children with additional needs. I want to pay tribute to Miriam Lord in the Press Gallery. She has contributed to the gaiety of the nation significantly and many of us will miss her column on Saturdays, even when we were sometimes the brunt of it. Her witty and sometimes barbed words were always a treat to read. I thank her for all she did.
Last Thursday …
What was particularly impressive about the calm dignity of the Garvaghy Road residents when we met them last Thursday was their concern for a younger generation and to ensure that the dark days of the past would not be repeated for a generation of people who had happily grown up under peace and the Good Friday Agreement. That is why this is now so grim. I agree with and welcome the Taoiseach's strongly worded views o…
I again welcome those from Every Child Matters who are in the Public Gallery. I commend presenter Eric Roberts for bringing the reality of Ireland's special education crisis home to us all with his television programme this week. He has put a human face on what families, teachers and SNAs experience every day in our special education crisis.
I pay tribute to those families and parents who participated in the program…
The whole country owes a debt of gratitude to Nikita Hand. We thank Nikita for the bravery she has shown. So many other people have felt emboldened to speak up about abuse they have experienced because Nikita's courage gave them courage. Speaking about her new book in recent days, Nikita Hand has talked with extraordinary dignity about suffering the trauma of rape and sexual violence. She has also spoken about the lo…
I thank the Minister for his positive words. As he says, Nikita Hand has indeed done the State some service in speaking out and I acknowledge the progress that has been made, but there are still far too many gaps in provision for victims and survivors, as I think the Minister has acknowledged. Clearly, there are still serious gaps in the provision of refuge spaces. This is something we in the Labour Party have been s…
The Minister, Deputy Chambers, spoke about solidarity with the people of Palestine but it is appalling to see the Government refusing visas for students from Gaza who are fleeing a genocide and have already secured funded scholarships in Irish universities. There is an ongoing case involving nearly 30 such students, which the Government is fighting in the courts. From what we know of the reasons given for visa refusa…
Two weeks from today, the Minister, Deputy Chambers, will deliver his budget and, across the country, people want to know if it will bring down their household bills. They are being subjected to daily budget leaks now. The Minister for Finance cannot help himself, flying kites and doling out goodies, with a morsel here and a soundbite there.
It is like "The Late Late Show" of old; one for everyone in the audience bu…
The Minister knows that is not what I am talking about.
We are very clear what it is.
That is not the case.
I would agree with one thing. When the Minister says Fianna Fáil has a clear record, it certainly does: it has a clear record on abandoning public sector workers.
The last time public sector unions went on strike was when Fianna Fáil was in government. We are seeing the neglect and abandonment of the public sector PAYE workers again with Fianna Fáil now in government. The Labour Party has put forward clear, costed proposals. We are the only party that did not support the narrowing of the tax base and stood against that reckless VAT cut for hospitality last year. We put forward…
-----and taking public sector workers seriously in a way that Fianna Fáil does not seem capable of doing.
Where is the agreement? Where is the deal?
The agreement ran out.
When?
They are waiting.
Today, the British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has announced that women employees will be provided with two weeks' leave to grieve and recover following a miscarriage before 24 weeks. It is now five years since I first introduced legislation in the Seanad to provide for workplace leave along the same lines here. I refer to leave when it matters most - compassionate leave. My Bill received unanimous support from Sen…
After the controversy surrounding the treatment of Garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe a decade ago, a new Garda protected disclosures system was developed to protect whistleblowers and to ensure that where concerns are raised, they are followed up. An "RTÉ Investigates" programme from Rita O'Reilly, which will air tonight, will outline that these systems are not working as intended and, worse, that the people who bra…
I am disappointed, frankly, to hear the Taoiseach's dismissal of these very serious issues. There are grave public safety concerns here. A Winchester sawn-off shotgun disappeared from Garda custody for 13 years. A protected disclosure was made in relation to that. This is in the public domain already. It referred to assertions against the Commissioner, Drew Harris. At that time, as the Taoiseach knows, the Garda Comm…
Undoubtedly we will hear more tonight and we will return to this, but there are very serious matters and serious questions for the Taoiseach's Government.
In accordance with-----
The National Transport Authority's, NTA, plans to increase public transport fares by an average of 15% have come as a hammer blow to commuters already struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. Fares for some will rise by up to 35%. Certain cohorts of students have been excluded from student fare rates. These changes will disproportionately affect those on lower incomes coming at a time when housing, grocery and ener…