Deputy.
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
Deputy Doherty, no more please.
In broad strokes, I welcome this Bill and the debate in the Chamber on it, be it on childcare places or the Bill itself. Today I want to focus on two points, namely, the duty to co-operate and the establishment of the committee. For the past couple of months, I have had my eyes opened in Drogheda. I normally visit schools on a weekly basis. Most recently, before Christmas, I visited three schools where it was highlig…
There are many aspects of this Bill that I welcome. In particular, in relation to so-called sex for rent, I welcome the protections that will be afforded to people who are victims of such behaviour by ruthless landlords. I also welcome the detail in regard to the complex network analysis, CNA, techniques in locating missing persons. Unfortunately, there are a number of constituents of mine in County Louth who still h…
I raise an issue on behalf of one of my constituents who is quite literally pulling out her hair because she has no idea where or if she will place her child in a special school next September. We know that parents of children with special needs face many challenges and one of them is the assessments. Through no fault of her own, last October she knew she was going to miss the deadline because her child has been on a…
I truly thank the Minister of State for the reply and look forward to a proactive approach from the NCSE and local SENOs to finding a solution to those individual cases. As the Minister of State said, anxiety is being caused to families by so many issues. If we can alleviate it and make sure these children, who are very special, have the right structures in place, are not delayed any further and get their places in S…
As my colleague, Deputy Barry Ward, said, this is a very wide-ranging debate but I would like to focus on international aid. In 2024, the US made $82 billion in contribution under USAID. In 2025, it was just under $20 billion. Other European countries and Great Britain also announced major cuts in their contribution which means it is estimated that only 29% of global humanitarian funding needs are being met. In a wor…
We have water, water everywhere, except flowing through the pipes and down through the taps in County Louth. I fear I will be very repetitive, like many of my colleagues. As Deputy Barry Ward said about previous speakers, I am about to take the Minister of State on a whistle-stop tour, this time of County Louth. While I recognise that Uisce Éireann committed €28 million to Drogheda last year, the problems are so long…
I thank the carers and the home helps who come into our homes and take such good care of our mothers, fathers and loved ones.
Without them, quite frankly, I am not sure if I or my family could function properly day to day. That is my first thought on this Bill.
Overall, the Bill is very positive. It is timely that the sector is regulated. I still see some gaps, however. First and foremost - I have heard my colleagu…
When I want to take a bus or train from Belfast to Dublin, Dundalk or Drogheda, the routes have improved. By rail or bus, they are absolutely excellent and even on the hour. However, if I want to go from east to west, from Clogherhead to Dunleer or Ardee and on to Trim or Kells, there are no buses and no public services to enable people to get to work or to get to medical appointments. I have written again and again …
Yes. County Louth, where there are 140,000 people-----
It is based on rail, Deputy Mac Lochlainn. With a population of 140,000, County Louth is growing and houses are spawning at an accelerated rate. Our businesses are growing and we are attracting businesses into the county, month after month. However, our two train stations are jammed. There is no parking and there is no facility. I listened earlier when the Minister of State talked about how we have to be ambitious, a…
105. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide an update on capital investment allocations for electricity grid upgrades under the national development plan; and the way in which decisions support Ireland’s renewable energy targets and security of supply [69909/25]
Can the Minister provide us with an update on the capital investment allocations for electricity grid upgrades under the national development plan, and the way in which these decisions support Ireland's renewable energy targets and, most importantly, our security of supply?
I welcome all these updates, in particular the largest investment. I also welcome the fact that this is going to be monitored and that the Minister will receive quarterly reports because without a robust energy delivery, we are going to find ourselves in great difficulty going into the future. For example, the Minister, Deputy Burke, launched in May 2025 the Silicon Island project. This is a very ambitious project. T…
The M1 corridor is uniquely positioned to attract new FDI. We have the lands and talent, as well as the proximity not just to two large cities but also the airports. This is an area in which I welcomed, during engagement throughout the summer with ESB Networks, its announcement of a commitment to invest €90 million. That will take us into the next five years but not the next ten years, however. It is about continued …
Drogheda has experienced deep and persistent challenges linked to intergenerational addiction, domestic abuse and violence, particularly in communities that have faced long-term social and economic disadvantage. The Drogheda Implementation Board was a welcome and necessary intervention. It brought additional resources and enhanced policing. However, as that implementation phase has concluded, there is serious concern…
Is the Deputy not sharing time?
Go ahead.
Before I outline the reasons I will support this Bill, I will pause for a moment and reflect on the words and comments made by our Opposition colleagues. The discussion today has muddied the waters. We have heard our sovereignty and democracy are under threat. I dispute this because what we have before us is an arbitration Bill, which sets out what happens when two parties are in dispute. However, when our Opposition…
In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time on Wednesday, 10 December 2025.
I welcome the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Deputy Norma Foley.
10. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if Dundalk and Drogheda will be included in the Finance Act 2024 to ensure that the living cities initiative can commence in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57738/25]
As it is my first time to address and put a question to the Tánaiste as Minister for Finance, I wish him very well in his new role. On budget day, Dundalk and Drogheda were cited as two of the towns that will be part of the new living cities initiative. Will the Tánaiste be so kind as to outline the next steps and how we will get it up and running in 2026?
When two of the five towns identified are Dundalk and Drogheda in such a wee county, the Tánaiste can obviously imagine that the wee county is jumping for joy because we see this as a vote of confidence in the county in the famous, or infamous, M1 corridor. Drogheda and Dundalk have huge potential but let us acknowledge the fact that we have a lot of underutilised and older buildings - a lot of stock that can be rege…