What has changed? In Fianna Fáil's 2020 general election manifesto, it stated that if in government, it wanted to fully maintain neutrality and the triple lock. Sinn Féin believes that Ireland’s neutrality is a strength that is supported by the Irish people but Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in government are trying to change the role of Irish troops from peacemakers to conflict participants. No Irish parent wants to see …
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
If so, put a referendum to the people-----
-----and stop the bullying tactics to make the decisions for the people of Ireland. Let the Irish people have their say and protect our neutrality.
Yesterday I stood in solidarity with the workers. I am utterly sick to my back teeth of members of the Government doing cartwheels to avoid taking responsibility for anything under their control. I see it week in, week out at the Committee of Public Accounts. Today we learned the CEO of Uisce Éireann was paid an increase of €118,000 in one year. There is one rule for some and another rule for others. We had known for…
You did not show it.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael's budget yesterday was quite the achievement. They somehow managed to fail ordinary workers and families from the cradle to the grave. It is welcome that costs for families have been reduced but childcare costs would already be €10 per day if the Government had implemented Sinn Féin's plan, which was published more than two years ago. The Ministers act as if third level fees of €2,350 are a …
I ask the Minister about the implementation of Ireland's Diaspora Strategy 2026-2030. What actions have come out of it and previous strategies to make life better for the diaspora, especially in relation to reciprocal driving licences?
I thank the Minister. What actions came out of the previous strategies? There is a commitment to conclude the reciprocal driving licence exchange with the US states. I commend Safe Home Ireland and the Irish-US driver's licence exchange campaign on their work in this area. It is important that such arrangements are based on equivalent standards. The Minister will appreciate that aspects of our often nonsensical burea…
Earlier this year such an agreement did conclude, but it related to the commercial sector rather than the diaspora. I assume that if we can do it for the commercial sector, we should be able to do it for the diaspora too. I ask the Minister to push forward with this and try to get a means to an end with this. So many peoplewhot live in America really need to get their licences. I have people who have moved home from …
I would like to ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade her position regarding the continued illegal settlement construction by Israel on Palestinian territory; and the dialogue she has with EU counterparts regarding same.
The vicious, criminal, heinous crimes of Israeli settlers in recent days is no new departure. The Nakba is now a near eight-decade-long catastrophe of Israeli settlers stealing Palestinian homes and land with impunity. I welcome that the Government has prohibited the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine. I am glad to see that the Minister is advocating and calling this out. It is shameful and…
I also hope that there is a shift. When Ireland fails to comply with our obligations under the EU treaties, infringement proceedings are launched against us. What is the appropriate course of action for an EU member state to take when the European Union itself is in breach of its obligations? The Minister's position would suggest that the EU treaties compel Ireland to continue to provide preferential trading arrangem…
I welcome the work the Passport Office does. I believe it is very efficient. I see many people getting their passports within a week of applying. I believe it is a fantastic service and does operate very well. I encourage people to apply online because it is the fastest process, whereas the paper process can be much slower.
What I would like to say today concerns the checks. I brought this issue up when I met the Pa…
It is horrible to see people who are sick endure financial hardship. It is right that we have mechanisms such as the medical card, discretionary emergency medical card and GP visitor card. However, a callous oversight by the Government has been a failure to increase related income thresholds for those under the age of 69 for more than two decades. For two decades, almost one in three people was covered. Today, the sa…
What about the threshold? That has not increased. People cannot qualify for medical cards.
Look at your stats. Go back and look.
When it comes to transport this Government and the Minister seem to be entirely without any direction at all. The carbon tax, which is supposedly a behavioural tax, is intended to change people's behaviour. The Government's carbon tax is supposed to encourage people to switch to electric cars and public transport, never mind that some people cannot afford electric cars. It is not a viable option.
In communities like…
I wish to thank the pharmacists for everything they do. Pharmacists play a crucial role within our health services and our primary care system. Within communities, they provide a vital service, often as part of a first call if a person is feeling unwell. They often help in a failing health system where patients are subjected to huge waiting lists for primary and clinical care. The role pharmacists play and the servic…
Later on, we saw a similar situation in regard to the blister packs. Did the Minister consult the pharmacists? The free contraception scheme is another very positive scheme that our pharmacists are crucial in the delivery of. I have raised with the Minister on a number of occasions the need to significantly increase the upper age threshold for eligibility. Has the Minister increased that age? The scheme was first int…
Over 3,500 new breast cancer cases arise in the State every year. It is absolutely shocking to say that 20% of the scheduled examinations did not take place last year. This should be seen as a red flag for Government and a huge concern for us all. The Minister needs to understand why this is happening and seek to address it immediately, whether through advertisements, education, more flexibility in the service in ter…
No, I have too.
As I have said before, we need to make BreastCheck more visible so people know to have their breast checks done. The HSE and BreastCheck are failing too many people, with patients on trolleys, years-long waiting lists, delayed diagnoses, overcrowding in hospitals and families just left in limbo right across the whole of the HSE, not just in BreastCheck. Just in my locality of Cavan and Monaghan this week, there has b…
I have said in this House a number of times, before the people, that the Irish Government is not responsible for global events precipitating global energy price hikes. However, people look to their government to insulate them from the worst impacts and the Government continues to fail on that account. Why can it not help struggling families to heat their homes? People are crying out for help and the Government has th…
There are 17,000 people homeless.
There are many issues with this Bill. What I wish to focus on is if it is successful in its content as assessment of need is often only the first step in a long and arduous journey towards seeing these needs met. As Teachtaí McGuinness and Ward stated, this Bill will not provide a single additional speech and language or occupational therapist. It will not provide additional special education places in our schools. I…