I thank the Deputy. I call Deputy Ellis. Apologies; I call the Minister of State.
TDs / Paula Butterly
Paula Butterly
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
387
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
30,519
words spoken in the chamber
Across 113 contributions. Plus 54 contributions from the chair, not counted
389
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
176
topics asked about
Across 18 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 387 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 113 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 13 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 11 | 2 |
| March 2025 | 15 | 6 |
| April 2025 | 12 | 3 |
| May 2025 | 11 | 5 |
| June 2025 | 9 | 4 |
| July 2025 | 16 | 3 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 11 | 2 |
| October 2025 | 9 | 4 |
| November 2025 | 33 | 10 |
| December 2025 | 23 | 8 |
| January 2026 | 13 | 10 |
| February 2026 | 18 | 11 |
| March 2026 | 40 | 6 |
| April 2026 | 29 | 3 |
| May 2026 | 47 | 14 |
| June 2026 | 26 | 2 |
| July 2026 | 19 | 6 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 23 | 11 |
| October 2026 | 9 | 3 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 82 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 Louth 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
I ask the Deputy to let the Minister of State respond.
I thank the Minister for her clear and constructive decision-making over the past number of days. I also acknowledge the staff and all those who have been working around the clock to ensure Irish citizens feel safe in unsafe circumstances and have been reassured the State is there to support them.
As we gather here today against the backdrop of a conflict that has inflicted profound suffering across the Middle East,…
Before I adjourn the House, I wish all of you an enjoyable and happy St. Patrick's Day.
I thank the Minister for her genuine interest in this matter, which has not been lost on the survivors of Michael Shine. I welcome the announcement from the Minister on appointing Lorcan Staines SC as the independent facilitator for the scoping exercise, as requested by Dignity4Patients on behalf of the survivors of Michael Shine. This is a significant and long-awaited step and it is important we acknowledge how long…
137. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he will consider establishing and funding a dedicated Irish town of culture programme to support local creative initiatives and community-based cultural development in Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16277/26]
Will the Minister consider establishing and funding a dedicated Irish town of culture programme to support towns such as Drogheda and Ardee with strong cultural identities and significant heritage assets? This would be particularly relevant for Drogheda, which has a rich artistic community and a deep historical footprint.
I thank the Minister. I am delighted to hear he is in favour of such a programme. Drogheda is a cultural powerhouse in the north east. It is home to festivals like the Drogheda Arts Festival, the Drogheda classical musical series and the Lú festival. It provides entertainment for locals but it is also a calling card for people from outside Drogheda and County Louth to visit the town. Like many Irish towns that have s…
I tend to agree with the Minister. A few years ago, Drogheda had the fleadh for two years, during which it brought great short-term benefit to the town. I agree with the Minister that this designation would have to develop over a three- or five-year period in order to have a long-lasting impact on the town. Where I may disagree with the Minister is in terms of the competition among local authorities. I advocate havin…
Childhood memories should be nuggets of joy and flashbacks of events evoked by the smells, words or actions of others and of happier times. They should make us laugh and smile when we remember. They should be a guide for us, if or when, we are lucky enough to have own children. They should wrap around us like a cosy duvet on dark miserable days.
Some of us can point to a teacher who was inspirational, stern, strict,…
Will the Minister of State consider establishing a cross-Border assessment of need scheme, modelled on existing cross-Border dental and surgical treatment pathways, to ensure that children can access timely assessments outside the State when domestic waiting lists are excessive?
I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case:
Deputy Darren O'Rourke - To discuss the shortage of mainstream school places in Dunshaughlin, County Meath for the 2026-27 school year.
Deputy Grace Boland - To discuss the national fare structure for train fares announced by the National Transport Authority …
I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this issue because it undoubtedly affects people in Dunleer, Togher, Drogheda and Dundalk and no doubt it also affects people the breadth of Ireland. I came in to the Chamber in October 2025 to talk about a constituency who had come to me having lost her husband a year prior. She was facing having to rear her four children, get back to work, get on with her life and with buil…
I thank the Minister of State. I am heartened that he has grasped the seriousness of the situation and by the fact that he is going to raise the urgent need for this to be reviewed. Let us review it and implement it. Let us find a timeline of many months but, rather, weeks or a few months. The Minister of State has grasped the seriousness of the situation, as has the Minister, Deputy Calleary. It is grossly unfair an…
This Bill is framed as a progressive step towards modernising employment, yet it is a deeply flawed legislation that risks undermining productivity, weakening organisational cohesion and placing disproportionate burdens on the employer.
While the intention behind the Bill may be admirable, its practical consequences are far from beneficial.
First, the Bill seeks to erode workplace culture and long-term innovation. …
13. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide an update on the legislative and non-legislative progress being made to implement the measures recommended in the accelerating infrastructure action plan. [9939/26]
I thank the Minister for his comprehensive answer. I want to go back to what he said to Deputy John Connolly in relation to gate 2. I welcome the announcement that it will no longer need ministerial approval. The Minister said it did not add value, but added only time. How much time will this actually save? Is it four weeks, eight weeks or 20 weeks? This is an important point to highlight. Whether there is ministeria…
My understanding is that 17 of the task action points set out for quarter 1 sit with the Minister's Department and nine of those, if not progressed, cannot go any further. Has the Minister already identified any pinch points that could delay this progress and, if so, how are they going to be addressed?
May I ask a further follow-up question?
A follow-up on this one. It would probably follow on more fluently, if the Minister is so willing.
Before I speak about my approval of this Bill and give my thanks for the work done on it, I wish to make my position on immigration very clear. Having listened to various debates over the last number of days, sometimes it feels, as an outsider looking in, that the lines tend to get a little bit blurred when we talk about immigration and what immigration is. It is important to underline that our position is that immig…
I absolutely concur with everything Deputy Callaghan has said. She rightly mentioned that families come in many shapes and forms and different sizes. I am very conscious that we link everything to our blood relatives. The time has come that when we are reviewing all the categories we have to consider those members of our families - because essentially, they can be very much considered as family - and perhaps consider…
I thank the Deputy.
I thank the Deputy.
Is that agreed? Agreed.