I welcome the intention of this Bill, which clearly aims to protect children from harm, and I commend People Before Profit on bringing it forward. We will support this Bill through to the next Stages, but we may work with People Before Profit on some amendments to it.
We have been examining algorithms at several Oireachtas committees, including the Joint Committee on Arts, Media, Culture, Communications and Sport. T…
TDs / Joanna Byrne
Joanna Byrne
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
473
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
55,881
words spoken in the chamber
Across 208 contributions
404
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
107
topics asked about
Across 15 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 473 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 208 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 1 |
| January 2025 | 4 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 29 | 25 |
| March 2025 | 38 | 14 |
| April 2025 | 29 | 11 |
| May 2025 | 20 | 10 |
| June 2025 | 11 | 10 |
| July 2025 | 34 | 6 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 12 | 5 |
| October 2025 | 6 | 6 |
| November 2025 | 25 | 4 |
| December 2025 | 2 | 4 |
| January 2026 | 43 | 15 |
| February 2026 | 36 | 13 |
| March 2026 | 23 | 12 |
| April 2026 | 17 | 7 |
| May 2026 | 32 | 13 |
| June 2026 | 42 | 22 |
| July 2026 | 18 | 3 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 40 | 5 |
| October 2026 | 12 | 22 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 121 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 Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
131. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if the proposal to introduce a social media ban for under 16s has been abandoned; and if so, the reasons. [16790/26]
The Minister will understand our confusion this evening. According to media reports, he was blindsided by the Government's announcement of the national digital and AI strategy 2030 last week. Just the day before that announcement, media sources were briefed that the under-16s' social media ban had been approved and that the strategy would be rolled out the following day. The media further stated that the Minister was…
One thing the Minister and I do agree on is encouraging the safety of our youth online. Our preference is to have a safe, well-regulated online world for our teens, where social media companies are held to account for what is on their platforms, which can be done by Ireland's online safety framework, and where bad actors online are removed from platforms and face repercussions.
What I do have concerns about is an ou…
133. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the details of the status of the delivery for use of the new ICT system to replace the existing sports capital programme grant management systems, OSCAR; the total spend on the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16791/26]
Will the Minister of State give an update on the delivery of the new ICT system to replace the existing sports capital programme grant management system and outline the total spend on the project and where it is at?
It is now March. When I asked a question on this last June, the response I received was that we would have a fully developed online customer portal and an administrative case management system in March 2026. I appreciate that the Minister of State said it is coming very soon, but the urgency on this was for it to be up and running before the new round of the CSFF opens and for that to be able to facilitate an ease of…
That is brilliant. It is very welcome news. I appreciate that. If it is relatively on time and on budget, that is great news to all of the sporting organisations the length and breadth of the country that will use it. The only thing I ask is that there be a test run beforehand to ensure all of the bugs are ironed out so that it does not pose any difficulties to any applications that come through on it, but it is bril…
171. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport when the new round of the community sports facilities fund grants will open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16807/26]
I commend the Social Democrats on bringing this motion forward. I am very happy to support it.
The shortage of GPs in my constituency of Louth has been long flagged, yet the issues remain. Last year, my party colleague flagged that County Louth was currently facing a critical shortage of general practitioners, with reports indicating that it had the highest number of medical card holders in Ireland waiting to be ass…
7. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps he will take to tackle harmful AI tools (details supplied) and the online platforms that host them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4109/26]
I ask the Minister to outline the steps he is taking to tackle harmful AI tools and the social media platforms that host them. I invite him to give a definitive statement this morning on the concrete actions being taken to ensure enhanced protection for online users.
This question was originally submitted to the Minister for communications but was transferred to the Department of enterprise. I am not entirely sure why he did not want to answer it last week.
I note his comments about examinations, reviews and the work under way in various Departments but the fact is inaction by this Government against social media giants cannot continue. Thus far the Government has sat back and w…
Those are very strong words and it is great to hear the Government will not be found wanting in this regard, but talk is cheap if it is not backed up by action. I sincerely hope the Minister meant everything he said. The Government has powers. Nobody is asking him to jeopardise any investigation. It is just about enforcement of the powers under the existing mechanisms, to ensure they are enacted with the full rigour …
If the Minister of State needs an example as to why this amendment is crucially important, he should talk to any of the nearly 50,000 people who live in my hometown of Drogheda. Overnight, and at the stroke of a pen, the only hotel in the town was taken away without any consultation with the local authority or without any consultation or communication with the elected representatives in the area. As my colleague poin…
104. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which children with additional needs in Drogheda without a school place will be accommodated for the upcoming school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11023/26]
I hope that after this matter being raised with the Department by myself and members of all parties and none over recent weeks and months, through umpteen parliamentary questions, on Leader's Questions and in various Topical Issues debates, that the Minister of State has some better news today for the Eir and An Post pensioners. I hope that he listened to the retired workers from Eir and An Post who were outside the …
I thank the Minister of State for his response. The requested 6% increase for An Post pensioners and 2.1% increase for Eir pensioners are minuscule in the greater scheme of things. We are in a cost-of-living crisis. The cost of absolutely everything has gone up and while it is pennies to the Government, it is massive to these people who served this State for decades. I note in the Minister of State's response that th…
This Government treats flood prevention schemes like something that is topical or seasonal. Every year when there is flooding, as there always is, the Government parties make statements on how they are doing everything they can and make positive statements about how they are definitely tackling the flooding problem this time but, unfortunately, it does not accelerate works, it does not cut down on the bureaucracy and…
It would; that is the point.
I welcome this Bill. I commend my colleagues on bringing it forward. Until the latest social media controversy arose, I and many others would have thought that we had sufficient legislation to tackle social media companies propagating nudification AI. The Government has been too slow to act. That is why this Bill is necessary and welcome. Last week, TikTok, Meta and Google were before the media committee to discuss t…
Each time I have the opportunity to speak on housing, I say this. I have to start by reiterating that for the common good, I want every Government housing and homelessness policy to be effective. For every person on the housing list, the hidden homeless, every family in a homeless hub and all of those in emergency accommodation, I want the Government's policies to work. The fact is, however, they are not working. Ren…
Budget 2026 outlined that a new DEIS plan would be published in late 2025. A key action in the plan will be the creation of a DEIS+ scheme, providing additional targeted resources to schools or students most at risk of educational disadvantage. I recently met with a principal of a DEIS school in Drogheda which is providing an incredibly supportive environment for local children to thrive in, despite the ongoing socia…
It is.
I said that the community has been ignored.