I know Deputy Murphy does not want to hear good news.
TDs / Jerry Buttimer
Jerry Buttimer
Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht and at the Department of Transport
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
21
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
121,393
words spoken in the chamber
121,360 as a minister, 33 as a TD
395
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
17
topics asked about
Across 8 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 21 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 432 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 9 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 12 | 16 |
| March 2025 | 0 | 17 |
| April 2025 | 0 | 9 |
| May 2025 | 0 | 15 |
| June 2025 | 0 | 24 |
| July 2025 | 0 | 20 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 0 | 23 |
| October 2025 | 0 | 17 |
| November 2025 | 0 | 23 |
| December 2025 | 0 | 21 |
| January 2026 | 0 | 17 |
| February 2026 | 0 | 31 |
| March 2026 | 0 | 24 |
| April 2026 | 0 | 38 |
| May 2026 | 0 | 46 |
| June 2026 | 0 | 37 |
| July 2026 | 0 | 16 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 0 | 22 |
| October 2026 | 0 | 16 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 363 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 Cork South-Central 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and at the Department of Transport 29 January 2025 to 1 June 2025
- office Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht and at the Department of Transport 2 June 2025 to now
It is the job of the Opposition to hark and bark, and that is all right. We are politicians, and I understand that. One in every four euro is going on public transport investment and one in every eight euro is being spent on public transport. I reiterate that there has been 43% uplift in the budget for this year.
I ask Deputy Murphy to read the NDP for transport. Has he read it?
The Deputy will have read about the Government's commitment to the provision of public transport, the electrification of the fleet, the purchase of new vehicles and the move away from diesel engines.
The Deputy does not want to hear good news. If he had his way, we would have no BusConnects, no Cork commuter rail, no MetroLink and no DART and he would be asking what are we doing.
The reality is that we are developing a transport plan-----
Deputy Ó Broin got his answer earlier and did not like it.
I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister. In accordance with section 13 of the Roads Act 1993, as amended, the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority. Work on such roads is funded from councils' resources, supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is a matter in the first case fo…
Who has failed?
I will ask the NTA to liaise with Kilkenny County Council. As Deputy McGuinness knows, it is mainly the responsibility of Kilkenny County Council to decide its programme for road maintenance.
On the safety issue, I will certainly ask the council to liaise and engage, particularly as safety is paramount. I know that Kilkenny County Council has received significant moneys for road protection and renewal works. It is c…
As the Deputy will appreciate, I do not have information in respect of that issue. I will certainly ask about the Black Quarry roundabout and ask people to liaise with Deputy McGuinness on the matter. I take the point the Deputy makes that too many cooks spoil everything, but it is important Kilkenny County Council, as the lead agency, can liaise with other stakeholders.
I will ask the Minister, Deputy O'Brien's off…
Safeguarding long-term financial sustainability while being responsive to passenger needs remains a central commitment under the programme for Government. Achieving this requires a careful balance between delivering high-quality reliable services and ensuring that the network is adequately resourced to meet growing demand. Passenger numbers have continued to rise in recent years, with a record-breaking 363.5 million …
Everything will be considered in the budgetary deliberations for next year. As the Deputy knows, all deliberations between our Department and the various agencies under it are subject to a thorough assessment in terms of their service provision, cost and requirements. There is a strong commitment to and focus on ensuring that value, fairness and accessibility for all passengers is achieved. Looking at what we have do…
I think the Deputy has raised this matter before. The important point I would make is that we are committed as a Government to maintaining a fare strategy that is fair and equitable. We are committed to helping to ensure that the pricing structure supports social inclusion and the modal shift, whether it is in Cork, Galway, Dublin or Offaly. It does not matter where. For us, our public transport provision is very imp…
Delays in the entry into service of new buses are very much regrettable. However, I must emphasise that the storing of buses while we deploy charging infrastructure is preferable to deferring their purchase in the first place until we have a charger available for every bus. If an alternative approach had been adopted where buses were only purchased after charging infrastructure was installed to ensure no delay in fle…
I will have the Department communicate with Deputy Boland. I take the point she makes and it is a very fair point. The overarching point is we must be conscious of spending public money and I take her point on both.
I could drive the bus nearly.
I would try my best.
I would meet the Deputy any time.
The Deputy never came to me once.
I thank all the Members for their contributions. It is incumbent on all of us that we would encourage people to use public transport. Based on the debate tonight, some of the suggestions and solutions from the contributions are ways in which we can enhance our public transport offering but also attract more people to partake in public transport. I found the debate interesting and invigorating. A bit like the coffee, …
I move:
That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Transport, pursuant to Standing Orders 103 and 188.
The Deputy heard from the Minister for Transport, Deputy O'Brien, the last day. He is pressing the recurring button the whole time.
I was there last week.
I welcome the students from Fermoy and their teachers. The summer holidays are ag teacht. Go n-éirí leo.
I thank Deputy McCarthy for this very important question. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I are working together in the context of the community services programme, which supports 453 services nationally through 434 community organisations to provide local social, economic and environmental services through a …