As we deal with a largely technical Bill related to various areas of Road Traffic Acts, websites, databases and day-to-day administration relating to driving, I want to touch on something else that is viewed by many as a glaring omission in the delivery of policy and that I would say is an error in policy. For many years, members of the diaspora have been pointing out the administrative burden associated with returni…
TDs / Cathy Bennett
Cathy Bennett
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
641
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
54,833
words spoken in the chamber
Across 379 contributions
414
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
163
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 641 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 379 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 33 | 17 |
| March 2025 | 12 | 21 |
| April 2025 | 79 | 10 |
| May 2025 | 54 | 24 |
| June 2025 | 20 | 17 |
| July 2025 | 16 | 12 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 6 | 9 |
| October 2025 | 9 | 28 |
| November 2025 | 58 | 43 |
| December 2025 | 57 | 18 |
| January 2026 | 45 | 35 |
| February 2026 | 35 | 42 |
| March 2026 | 13 | 25 |
| April 2026 | 50 | 21 |
| May 2026 | 39 | 11 |
| June 2026 | 34 | 8 |
| July 2026 | 17 | 10 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 44 | 15 |
| October 2026 | 20 | 13 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 188 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 Cavan-Monaghan 29 November 2024 to now
- party Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
A long time ago.
Many people are deeply concerned regarding the Government's proposal to remove the triple lock neutrality protection, and with good reason. This insincere amendment brought forward by the Government cuts to the heart of why, as it is wholly at odds with reality, Government policy and the Government's own statements.
The Minister says that gutting the triple lock will not have any impact on the policy of military neu…
I welcome this debate on the financial implications of a united Ireland. I acknowledge that the Tánaiste and so many other Members in this House see its merits in the future. I would have hoped that in this House we would at least have moved past the time of framing this without casting a value judgment. Any discussion on the financial implications of a united Ireland today that is based upon credible analysis would …
The idea that education in Ireland is free at any level is a myth, whether it is the so-called voluntary contributions or a student contribution fee that costs more even though the Government claims it is reduced. It is utterly galling for hard-pressed families who shell out hundreds or even thousands of euro a year. That is not to say there have not been positive initiatives - for example, the schoolbook scheme. How…
We are only telling you the truth, Eoghan.
I welcome that we have recently seen progress on a number of important measures relating to domestic abuse, but what is of crucial importance is that we get the legislation and policy right. In the face of what report after report expose as an epidemic of violence against women and girls, I do not accept incremental change as good enough. Legislation will pass in the Houses tomorrow on the callous use of counselling …
I welcome this legislation that progresses the free contraception available for those aged 17 to 35 and will allow pharmacists to prescribe contraceptive medicines and products. What annoys me is to see that the Government has said the pharmacies will set their fees locally. This is not good enough and this is not free contraception. There has to be something put in place to ensure that the contraceptive is actually …
Post offices provide proven, irreplaceable benefit to the communities they serve. They contribute to local economies and offer critical services and access for older people, vulnerable citizens and marginalised communities. When we see in the decade up to this time last year that 257 post offices had closed across the State, it should have set alarm bells ringing. As a TD for a rural constituency, it is particularly …
10. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he will outline the advice and support provided by his Department to other Departments or bodies under their aegis regarding the procurement of IT systems. [51486/26]
Government IT projects have become synonymous with overspends, not best practice, as far as I can see. Of 220 such projects since 2024, 67 have projected overspends or have had overspends. The Department contains various units in agencies that sanction projects or provide advice on the activities of Departments and State bodies. I am thinking of the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, OGCIO, the Offic…
I do not know how the Minister of State can say there is early engagement when a €4.3 million Fórsa project was abandoned, an unaffordable affordable childcare ICT system exceeded its original estimate of €3.5 million by nearly 50%, and now, €30 million spent by Irish Rail has effectively been written off. These are just examples of the tens of millions of euro in taxpayers’ money that is as good as gone. I am not se…
15. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the timeframe in which refuges will open in counties Cavan and Monaghan. [49803/26]
It is simply indefensible that more than a decade after the media started referring to the cost of childcare as comparable to a second mortgage, the pace of action from the Minister of State's Government could be so lethargic. In 2024, my colleague and the Sinn Féin spokesperson on children, Deputy Kerrane, published a detailed costed plan outlining how Sinn Féin would deliver childcare capped at €200 per month. Fian…
We were wondering.
It is better to fight with us than with the Government, is it not? We are recommending-----
The Deputy is getting good laughs. The Minister is having a good laugh at him.
I will not take lectures from Independent Ireland which recently said sport should not become a tool about Israel playing Ireland. The Minister should have taken a stronger stance on that, but Independent Ireland should not accuse Sinn Féin of anything when we are only trying to help the public.
I welcome the legislation, which will encourage tourism on the island of Ireland. However, it is a blunt tool which is not…
The Government has utterly failed in terms of dental services. It has especially failed every child, with more than 11,000 children waiting years to get braces and half of all children not getting their scheduled dental check-ups through the school dental scheme. The Government is especially failing children in my county of Monaghan, where, as of October last year, not a single child in the 2024-25 cohort had receive…
I wish to raise the ongoing and very serious issue of excessive waiting times in the accident and emergency department in Cavan General Hospital. As the Tánaiste is aware, residents of County Monaghan do not have access to an accident and emergency department in their county. Instead, they have to travel to Cavan hospital to receive emergency care. This places significant and unstable pressure on services. I continue…
I congratulate the Minister of State on her new post. I alert her that the Government continues to fail the ordinary people struggling to keep the lights on and their homes warm. A new record of more than 500,000 are now in arrears on their gas and electricity bills. The most impactful action by this Government was to pull the plug, withdrawing energy credits that were for many people just keeping their heads above w…
I thank Independent Ireland for putting this motion forward today. In recent years, ordinary workers and families have endured a number of economic shocks. Consistently, however, this Government has had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, in order to deploy countermeasures - kicking and screaming to support workers, families, farmers, hauliers and many more. Developers though, have got their tax breaks and, of cour…
No person should be left socially, politically or economically worse off because of a disability. I think all of us in this House would agree on that in principle. Where the problem lies, however, is that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have their heads in the clouds. The estimated additional cost to a household in which a person with a disability lives stands at €555 per week. Worse again is that, rather than improving th…
The Government proposal to cut the triple lock neutrality protections stands among the most significant foreign affairs and defence policy departures in decades, so it is important that it be properly considered and understood. It is concerning that the Taoiseach's own position is consistent only in its shifting nature.
Initially, the Taoiseach proposed a citizens' assembly on neutrality. Then it became a so-called …
I welcome the Bill to facilitate the orderly wind-up of NAMA and the IBRC, an end of sorts, in part, to the contemptible chapter of history, which saw Irish taxpayers bail out the banks in a process that was quite poor in terms of the return for the Irish people. In many cases, these assets were captured by vulture funds at rock bottom prices. The full truth of Project Eagle and other projects may never be known. Giv…