I thank the Minister of State. In my life, before I took up this position, I was heavily involved in the tourism industry in south County Wicklow for over 20 years. I know first-hand the area’s needs and I cannot emphasise enough the importance of this greenway project. Our support for this is simply critical, as for decades now there is a genuine feeling in south County Wicklow that it has been ignored in terms of t…
TDs / Brian Brennan
Brian Brennan
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
444
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
18,266
words spoken in the chamber
Across 86 contributions. Plus 14 contributions from the chair, not counted
408
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
151
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 444 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 86 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 14 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 34 | 3 |
| March 2025 | 33 | 4 |
| April 2025 | 19 | 4 |
| May 2025 | 20 | 6 |
| June 2025 | 15 | 1 |
| July 2025 | 17 | 6 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 25 | 1 |
| October 2025 | 23 | 4 |
| November 2025 | 28 | 13 |
| December 2025 | 21 | 5 |
| January 2026 | 26 | 6 |
| February 2026 | 26 | 9 |
| March 2026 | 17 | 3 |
| April 2026 | 23 | 6 |
| May 2026 | 32 | 4 |
| June 2026 | 27 | 2 |
| July 2026 | 13 | 1 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 1 |
| September 2026 | 17 | 2 |
| October 2026 | 14 | 5 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 71 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 Wicklow-Wexford 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
I totally agree with the Minister of State. I drive this route every week. I try to have a vision of what will happen – not if but when – this greenway happens. We look at cafés on the quays in Arklow, Woodenbridge buzzing with tourists, Lawless’ Hotel in Aughrim reopening, bike shops in Tinahely or more pods in Shillelagh. It is going to be simply transformative. We often overuse the term “game-changer”, but it will…
I want to speak to the Taoiseach about coastal erosion, which is an extremely pressing and urgent issue for coastal communities right across Ireland. It is estimated in recent reports that up to 20% of the coastline of Ireland is at risk. This is a particular problem in the south east due to the composition of the lands, which are sand and clay-based. Some areas in the south east are losing up to 8 m to 10 m from the…
I warmly welcome the Taoiseach’s suggestion of centralising this because it highlights the problem we are having. I do not want to be parochial, but if we just look at the Wexford coastline, 80% of the 260 km is under threat. That is a phenomenal figure. We are dealing with real people. In areas like Cahore and Glasscarrig, people are in genuine fear of losing their homes. I recently went down to Kilmichael and Castl…
I need to bring up the treatment of staff in the Merck facility in Arklow. The Minister is well aware that there is a planned closure for 2028. I know that within 24 hours, the Minister was there on site-----
It is in south County Wicklow, which is badly affected.
As the Taoiseach is aware, first responders play a critical role in our emergency services, but approximately one year ago a decision was made to prevent the officer group from taking the officer response vehicle to their place of residence. In December, I witnessed first hand a medical emergency on Main Street, Gorey. The ambulance and first responders were called. The first responders arrived in their own cars and …
I want to address flood insurance or should I say the lack of flood insurance. It is estimated at over one in 20 homes and businesses is unable to access insurance. Over the past few weeks, I have met residents from Aughrim, Enniscorthy, Arklow and Bunclody and have seen at first hand the devastation caused by flooding. Moving forward, their biggest concern is simply that they are unable to access insurance. This pro…
142. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the initiative to allow builders and private developers to construct wastewater treatment facilities for smaller housing developments; when the new regulations will come into effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5315/26]
I am looking for an update on the initiatives to allow builders and private developers to construct wastewater treatment facilities for smaller housing developments, and on when the new regulations will come into effect.
I warmly welcome the Minister's announcement on 4 November that there will now be a key role for the private sector in developing wastewater treatment plants. This obviously means there will be a huge increase in the number of houses and, more importantly, there will be more affordable houses brought through to fruition. I fully understand there will be strict regulations and compliance required and I also welcome th…
I thank the Minister. I cannot over-emphasise the importance of this new proposed change to the regulations to allow the private sector to develop its own wastewater treatment systems. Recently I visited villages such as Camolin, which the Minister knows well, and Aughrim in my constituency. These are two typical examples of towns that have simply been stopped in their tracks due to lack of wastewater capacity. This …
The Deputy cannot move it but she can discuss it.
The next speaker is Deputy Danny Healy-Rae. No, in fact, I call Deputy Dolan.
In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time this evening.
In relation to the very fluid situation that is playing out between the United States and Greenland, can the Minister of State give me an update on what plans are in place in the event of the impending threat of an increase in tariffs for all countries that do not support America's desire to take over Greenland?
When it comes to tariffs, there are absolutely no winners. We understand the EU is a very powerful bloc a…
I need to discuss the rail service between Wexford and Dublin that serves huge population growth areas such as Gorey, Arklow and Rathdrum. On a daily basis, my offices in Gorey and Arklow are contacted by commuters who are deeply frustrated and inconvenienced by the current service. The Wexford to Dublin train now only offers 185 seated tickets. By the time the train picks up commuters in Arklow or Rathdrum, it is fi…
I am just coming in on sustainability. I really feel the key to this is the warmer homes scheme. It is an excellent scheme that is being operated at the moment by the SEAI. Will the Minister of State update me on efforts being made to reduce waiting times for people who have applied for the warmer homes scheme because this will be a key part of reducing the amount of energy consumed and meeting our targets?
I raise the pending closure of the Merck facility in Arklow, whose foreign investment we formally welcome. Merck is a huge multinational global company with a turnover of over £2.2 billion in the last quarter of this year. It has also been supported warmly by IDA Ireland, but the initial redundancy package put to the workers is simply an insult to over 100 employees. We now have to go down the WRC route, which is hug…
I hope when we look at rural infrastructure that we also look at areas that have not been supported before. To take a template of Arklow, the town is blessed to have one of the finest wastewater treatment plants in Europe. The population of the town is about to explode, however. There is a new data centre, offshore wind farms and thousands of houses planned but we have only one bridge. The town will choke if the infr…
99. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70576/25]
The Tánaiste will be aware that in my constituency of Wicklow and Wexford there is a very proud and vibrant agriculture sector. There is huge concern on the ground in relation to Mercosur. We read recently that the Irish Farmers' Journal sent a delegation out and they found they could access antibiotics without any checks or documentation. We also heard over the past couple of days that a batch of meat was taken off …
I spoke previously about the fact that I flew to Egypt and met people on the ground. I have kept in touch with these people, including in recent weeks. I am very concerned about the word "ceasefire" because that is not the feeling on the ground.
I have two huge concerns. The first is the level of aid getting through. The second is the rebuilding process. What is the plan to rebuild? We must also look at the rebuildi…
I welcome the Government providing over €100 million in non-lethal military support to Ukraine. I welcome 116,000 Ukrainians here under the temporary protection directive, with it being estimated that some 80,000 will stay. I have a huge concern, though, over the peace process itself and the role Europe has played in it. The 28-point plan was made up without the involvement of Ukraine, and that is so wrong. Additiona…
I wish to raise the recent summer works scheme allocations. In my constituency, only five schools were successful in their applications. I am delighted for these schools and their allocations are well deserved, but the scheme has not gone far enough to meet the needs of many schools. The scheme is themed around climate action summer works, including roof works, electrical and mechanical works, and essential maintenan…