I thank the Minister of State for mentioning my late colleague on Kerry County Council, Jim Finucane. Jim was a great Kerry man. He loved his county and his town of Tralee. He was involved in everything. big and small, in Kerry. I extend my sympathies to his wife and family and his wife's nephew, Councillor Mikey Sheehy. I was deeply shocked and saddened to hear this news late yesterday evening. He will be sadly miss…
TDs / Michael Cahill
Michael Cahill
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
3,207
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
41,594
words spoken in the chamber
Across 178 contributions
414
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
392
topics asked about
Across 20 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 3,207 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 178 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 52 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 162 | 17 |
| March 2025 | 132 | 6 |
| April 2025 | 230 | 4 |
| May 2025 | 121 | 14 |
| June 2025 | 153 | 10 |
| July 2025 | 220 | 14 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 216 | 8 |
| October 2025 | 84 | 4 |
| November 2025 | 230 | 8 |
| December 2025 | 140 | 19 |
| January 2026 | 189 | 14 |
| February 2026 | 136 | 18 |
| March 2026 | 159 | 6 |
| April 2026 | 248 | 4 |
| May 2026 | 201 | 7 |
| June 2026 | 245 | 7 |
| July 2026 | 129 | 2 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 115 | 11 |
| October 2026 | 45 | 5 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 128 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 Kerry 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fianna Fáil 29 November 2024 to now
During a debate on the Private Members' motion on abolishing of means testing for the carer's allowance, I referred to the sale of St. Mary of the Angels in Beaufort. I am happy to confirm I have received correspondence from St. John of God stating that there is no sale and that the organisation has not signalled any intention to sell the property. I welcome the clarification and I and the families of children and ad…
Means-testing for the carer's allowance is not fair on either carers or patients. It could end up costing the State hundreds of millions of euro. The carer's allowance is a weekly social welfare payment to people who care for someone because of their age, disability or illness, including mental ill-health, for at least 35 hours per week over five to seven days. Personal savings should have no impact on whether people…
-----who is in a position of power to address this issue and reverse what they are trying to do. Otherwise, we will be looking for more carers for these people. That is the point I am trying to make.
This is a facility that the people of Kerry fundraised for, which was given free of charge. It should continue to be used for the purpose for which it was originally given to the people of Kerry by the Doyle family.
6. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Health will next meet. [48528/25]
There are former residential and reformatory school survivors on hunger strike outside the gates of Leinster House as we speak. I raised this matter last week with the Minister for justice in the Dáil. This is their tenth day on hunger strike. This very serious situation has reached an impasse, with the Minister for education having advised them that their demands cannot be met. The hunger strikers assure me they wil…
Despite the enormous profits being made by insurance companies in this country, premiums continue to rocket upwards. Given that insurance is not alone essential but, in instances like motor insurance, it is required by law, the Government should have stricter control of any proposed increases in premiums. We know that increased construction costs have a large effect on domestic house insurance but increases of 20% ye…
At the outset, I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this Private Members' motion on child poverty and homelessness. We are not by any means the poorest nation in the world, but poverty exists in our society. Poverty severely affects the very young, who are more vulnerable to ill-health because their bodies are not fully formed in comparison with those of teenagers and mature adults. Children are dependent on…
I plead with the Minister to use his power urgently to end the industrial and reformatory school survivors' hunger strike by immediately awarding a health amendment Act, HAA, card to all survivors as they deserve access to comprehensive healthcare to deal with the lasting effects of these institutions and by awarding a full contributory State pension for the unpaid work done by them many years ago. These survivors wo…
Irish householders are facing a winter of increased fuel prices following recent announcements by energy suppliers of price increases, despite the companies involved already having made significant profits. I cannot understand how these increases can be justified in light of soaring profits. It seems to be just another instance of women and men at the side of the street being milked to create corporate profits for la…
The waiting list for children needing psychological treatment in County Kerry, and in the Cork-Kerry region, as recently outlined by the HSE for the period 2022 to 2025, shows a growth pattern that only be described as highly horrendous. The list grew by 470%. These figures appear to have spiralled out of control during that timeframe. There is widespread fear and frustration in the families of those affected.
It is…
As I outlined earlier, the figure for 2025 is 1,022. The list grew by a massive 470% from 2022 to 2025. These figures appear to have spiralled completely out of control during that period and there is widespread fear and frustration within the families of those affected. This cannot be allowed to continue. As I stated earlier with regard to CAMHS, we have already witnessed the fiasco in north and south Kerry. We cann…
18. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he will provide funding to tackle costal erosion and flooding in Rossbeigh, Waterville, Kenmare, Tralee, Listowel, Glenbeigh, Dooks, Cromane Lower, Killorglin and Glosha; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39792/25]
I raise the issue of coastal erosion and flooding, which are huge problems in my neck of the woods. I live by a beach called Rossbeigh in Glenbeigh, County Kerry. It is on Castlemaine Harbour. That area in particular is very problematic with global warming and high tides. When the high tides coincide with storms there are particular issues. Homes are flooded and we require funding as soon as possible.
I thank the Minister of State for that response. The towns of Kenmare, Tralee, Listowel, Castleisland and lower Killorglin all need protection works at the earliest possible date. I have been inside homes where there has been 3 ft of saltwater. Rainwater is one problem, but saltwater is a different story completely. I plead with the Minister of State to come down, see for himself and provide the necessary funding. Hi…
I thank the Minister of State for confirming he is coming down to Kerry. I look forward to welcoming him. There are so many areas. It is a huge problem that involves expensive work. Rock armour is very expensive, as are other lines of defence. For many of the people affected, the Minister of State is General Custer making his last stand. We are pleading with him to deliver for our county and people and to give them s…
Iveragh in south Kerry is remote to many of the people who live elsewhere on this island. It is a main attraction for many. For many of those living there, its remoteness is neither an attraction nor an advantage when it comes to health services, be they physical or mental. A proposal to move mental health services from Caherciveen Community Hospital to Killorglin would be a detrimental move for everybody resident fr…
I again raise the Presidency of the European Union. The Heads of State will be coming to Ireland next year, and I specifically mention Killarney as a destination for meetings and a place to stay. We have the best of hotels. There are 42 hotels in Killarney. We have the best of hotels and the best of restaurants. We have the national park, the Lakes of Killarney, the Ring of Kerry, the Gap of Dunloe-----
It would be a great boost to the local economy as well.
I want to emphasise that.
I ask about visas for siblings of children in Gaza who require urgent surgery. Will the Government do everything possible to expedite the processing of those?
I have had many inquiries regarding back garden cabins from constituents all over County Kerry. They must be allowed to go ahead and they should also be available for rent. Local authorities should be able to adjudicate on small to medium-sized infrastructural projects by way of Part 8, even where environmental impact assessments are necessary, instead of such projects being sent to An Bord Pleanála. On rural settlem…
I, too, welcome the students to the Gallery this evening. The last three budgets reduced the cost of third level student fees by €1,000 per annum as part of the wider cost-of-living packages introduced by the Government. I am pressing the Minister to continue these reductions in fees for students on an ongoing basis as they and their families are hard-pressed to afford them. The cost-of-living crisis is still very mu…
St. Mary of the Angels and St. Francis Special School in Beaufort in the heart of County Kerry is a very special place. The special needs community in Kerry has a major respite crisis. The families do not have the time to wait. The ground and the campus at St. Mary of the Angels should be made accessible now. Families do not have time to wait. They need help. They are not asking for full-time residential care but res…