Shall I respond?
TDs / Mary Butler
Mary Butler
Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach with special responsibility as Government Chief Whip; and the Department of Health with responsibility for Mental Health
Portrait: Mary Butler (CC BY 4.0) · source file
1
question asked
Oral and written, to government departments
216,769
words spoken in the chamber
214,650 as a minister, 2,119 as a TD
433
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
1
topic asked about
Across 1 department
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 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 946 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 0 | 37 |
| March 2025 | 0 | 24 |
| April 2025 | 0 | 33 |
| May 2025 | 0 | 46 |
| June 2025 | 0 | 304 |
| July 2025 | 0 | 55 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 0 | 15 |
| October 2025 | 1 | 29 |
| November 2025 | 0 | 60 |
| December 2025 | 0 | 28 |
| January 2026 | 0 | 38 |
| February 2026 | 0 | 31 |
| March 2026 | 0 | 30 |
| April 2026 | 0 | 75 |
| May 2026 | 0 | 25 |
| June 2026 | 0 | 29 |
| July 2026 | 0 | 24 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 2 |
| September 2026 | 0 | 30 |
| October 2026 | 0 | 31 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 386 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Asked about similar topics
Not enough questions on record to compare.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Waterford 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fianna Fáil 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach with special responsibility as Government Chief Whip; and the Department of Health with responsibility for Mental Health 23 January 2025 to now
As regards the Moriarty tribunal, established in 1997, the spend to date is €77.948 million. I would have been quite happy to answer any questions if I was afforded the time to do so but the Deputies opposite chose not to do so. They chose to attack me and the Taoiseach.
I am sure all the paperwork has been circulated.
I was not aware that they had not got the briefs. I would have assumed-----
Yes, because it is time sensitive. I was prepared to go in last Thursday afternoon and I was informed-----
No, I did not. I was prepared to go in last Thursday afternoon and I was told around lunchtime on Thursday that the meeting was no longer going ahead and that the committee did not wish the Chief Whip to attend.
That is what I was told.
I was not aware of that during the committee.
A Chathaoirligh, the debate has concluded.
The debate has concluded.
The information that goes to any committee in relation to Estimates will be circulated.
It was not rushed; it was debated on the floor of the Dáil.
This is the third time this has been dealt with this way this year - three committees.
A Chathaoirligh-----
Correct.
I thank Deputy Daly. I hope he will stay because otherwise I will be speaking to an empty Chamber and I will-----
I know you are. I was just saying that.
We also have the Minister, Jim O'Callaghan, coming in, so there is someone in the Chamber to hear me.
It was great to finish on words of wisdom and lived experience from Deputy Daly. He is always there to give us all advice in relation to healthcare, and it is great to hear somebody speaking to the Bill.
I have been six years in the Department of Health. This is possibly my fifth or sixth time speaking on this Bill…
I move:
That notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, the proposed arrangements as set out in the first Revised Report of the Business Committee are hereby agreed to.
These are exceptional circumstances on the nomination of Members of Government.
The revised schedule accommodates this and ensures we continue with Dáil business, and the Taoiseach will take his questions tomorrow instead of today.
I move:
Today's business shall be:
- Motion re referral to joint committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2025 (without debate) (any division claimed to be taken immediately)
- Motion re leave to introduce Supplementary Estimates for Public Services 2025 [Votes 2, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 31, 36, 37, 38, 40, 42 and 45] (without de…
In response to Deputy McDonald, under Standing Order 35(3) and as the Taoiseach said earlier, the Minister met Harvey's parents this afternoon with the Tánaiste, Simon Harris. I will speak to the Minister about Deputy McDonald's request and try to table that for next week.
In response to Deputy Gibney, the occupied territories Bill is receiving priority publication by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel.
In res…
I thank the Deputy very much for his question. There were 4,047 children on the CAMHS waiting list nationally in September 2025, a decrease of 97 from 4,144. We have seen a reduction of 445 children in the last five months. I have taken to the car and visited 21 CAMHS teams in the last five months to try to get under the bonnet as to why some teams are doing really well and some are not doing as well. In 2025, CAMHS …
I thank the Deputy for this important question. All emergency departments should have a separate, quiet assessment place. That is in Sharing the Vision. I will liaise with the REO, Tony Canavan, in relation to why that is not the case. To support people who attend emergency departments in crisis, across the road from Galway University Hospital, in 2022, I opened a crisis cafe to support people while they wait to atte…