I join with the Leas-Cheann Comhairle in welcoming the students from Edmund Rice College, Carrigaline, who are here today as well. I wish them a very pleasant visit to Leinster House.
I thank Deputy O'Gorman for the question. BusConnects Dublin is a transformative programme of investment to provide better bus services to more people across the capital. The Department of Transport is providing significant funding to …
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
The Deputy is correct; it is difficult to get across the city. The orbital routes are important. In fairness, the Deputy’s former colleague and former Minister, Eamon Ryan, introduced them. We have seen some being rolled out and we are doing more in that regard. The Department of Transport and I will engage with the NTA to ensure we get a date. There is ongoing engagement around the planning of all necessary works fo…
We all share the commitment to enhance the public transport offering. It is not correct to say there is a lack of funding. In the budget, the Minister received an increase of 46% in the PSO allocation. What we are doing - I think the Deputy will support us in this, being a former Minister - is building resilience and sustainability in the transport system and network for the future. We are planning new routes in a wa…
Students from Edmund Rice College Carrigaline are in the Gallery. I welcome them and wish them well. I hope they have a very good visit. Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.
By allowing drivers and passengers to complete part of their journey by car and part by public transport, park-and-ride sites have an important role to play in generating a mode shift towards public transport, cutting emissions and reducing congestion in our urban centres. To support this work, Iarnród Éireann is currently updating its national carpark strategy report to establish the capacity requirements for car pa…
I am fully aware of the situation in Carlow. I am very familiar with the town. When you come off the motorway from Dublin, you can see cars parked along the road as you go into Carlow in an area where there could be a need for a park-and-ride facility. The Department and I are very much committed to having an overall strategy. We are looking at a change in focus. That is why we have BusConnects, why we will have the …
The Deputy makes an interesting point. On the other, broader point, digressing from her subject matter of the question, from a geopolitical point of view, we need to look differently at rail provision. She mentioned Mullinavat. I could throw in the Midleton to Youghal line in Cork as an example. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle could have a couple in Kilkenny as well. We have to look at the whole thing differently now given…
I thank the Deputy for his ongoing advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities and his good work with Ciarán Delaney, whom we both engage with. If there are complaints, I encourage the Deputy to ask the people affected to log them and we will take it up. It is important we have that data.
The regulation of the small public service vehicle, SPSV, sector, including the compliance, enforcement and administration of …
I concur with the Deputy that that should not be the experience of people. The NTA has been working to make it easier for taxi drivers nationally and locally to increase the numbers available to passengers.
The last year for which statistics are available is 2025. The NTA received 1,815 complaints regarding SPSVs compared to 1,713 in 2014. Complaints related to the condition of the vehicle, driver behaviour, hiring …
I think there was one fixed-charge notice fine this year. The range of fines has gone from €80 to €250. Around 20% of the fleet comprises wheelchair accessible vehicles; I think it is about 4,836. It is an important matter and deserves the attention the Deputy gives it. If a person has a complaint, they should log it so that we can follow through. We must make it easier and we are providing training and that accessib…
I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. Rural transport is an important point. In the context of the budget, the Minister and I are aware of the role that enhanced connectivity plays in supporting communities in Offaly. I commend the Deputy on the work he does in that regard.
In the budget for this year, the Department of Transport secured €940 million of funding for PSO and TFI Local Link services, providing a s…
The Deputy is right in that access is not just an option; it is important not just for employment but also for connectivity, going to hospital appointments, going to medical services and even going to the local village. That is why we review local transport provision under the programme for Government commitment. The Minister and I are very much committed to ensuring we see an uplift again in the provision of transpo…
I thank Deputy Dolan for raising this important matter. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, who sends his apologies. The Deputy is correct that this is an opportunity to get this right. It is important that our public transport offering provides services that benefit people. I agree with the Deputy in that regard. In my city of Cork, we see that commuter rail is successful. It works. As the De…
Deputy Dolan makes a compelling case. The Deputy can be assured that I, the Department of Transport, the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, are all strongly committed to providing all regions and citizens with reliable and suitable mobility options. Public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. I live in Cork where we have an ambitious plan. It has been successful. C…
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an ábhar seo a ardú. I welcome Ciarán and Damian and thank them for their work, advocacy and what they have been doing. I thank Deputy Bennett for raising the matter. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister who sends his apologies for not being here.
In order to ensure the safety of road users, it is vital that Ireland only exchanges licences following a detailed examination of…
It is not a question of political will. We all accept the great need to have that piece around connectivity. As I said at the beginning, entering into a driving licence exchange agreement is complex. It is not straightforward. We completely agree that we need to find the solution going forward.
Let us have the solution. I commend the publication of the report and the work that has been done genuinely.
Whoa, whoa. Taistil go mall.
I do not disagree with the roadmap; the question is how you get to the end of the road. What we cannot do - and if we were to do so, the Deputy would come in here and excoriate me - is compromise on road standards and safety. We must engage. That is the one thing we will do. I will take back to the RSA and the Department the need to go through the report and meet with the group. They are fine people. I know them. Lar…
I thank the Deputy for raising this very important matter, which I am dealing with on behalf of Minister for Transport. On a personal level, I do not disagree with a lot of what the Deputy said. He is absolutely right and I will come back to that in a minute.
The Minister for Transport has responsibility for the overall policy and Exchequer funding in relation to greenways. The planning, design and construction of i…
The first point I will make is that greenways will have significant benefit to the local areas, as the Deputy said, in terms of significant benefits beyond the transport sector in areas such as regional economic development, public health, climate resilience and economic activity. The point the Deputy made is that it is important that three sections of the Kerry greenway will be open to the public by the summer. I wi…
Hear, hear.
Gan amhras, tá na daoine go léir faoi bhrú, ach tá an Rialtas ag éisteacht. Táimid ag caint go mórmhór leis an gnáthdhuine, agus ag obair ar son gach duine.
This debate is nothing but a charade. If the Members opposite wanted to have questions, they would not have put forward a motion of no confidence and would have had question time.
The reality is that people want us to govern. People are under pressure. That is why the Government has intervened twice. I have been a Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas for 19 years and I will make a comment to Members of both Houses. Our language and words matter. Deputy Cairns spoke about leadership but leadership is not about sticking your finger in the air and wondering what way the wind is blowing. It is a…
If the Government did not listen and did not engage, we would not have had a second package worth €750 million.
Language matters. It is critical. People watch and listen.
I thank the men and women of An Garda Síochána for their leadership over the past seven days. I have met and spoken to them. Some of them are friends of mine. Behind the Instagram and TikTok videos, there is truth and reality. To the men and women of An Garda Síochána, let us say "Thank you", irrespective of our political ideology because without them, we wo…