6. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will, in the interests of equity, seek an increase in cadets' pay to bring it in line with the starting pay of a three-star private given both are similarly trained and qualified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49483/25]
TDs / Catherine Callaghan
Catherine Callaghan
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385
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
34,437
words spoken in the chamber
Across 138 contributions
427
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
119
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 385 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 138 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 1 | 1 |
| March 2025 | 11 | 4 |
| April 2025 | 27 | 13 |
| May 2025 | 8 | 7 |
| June 2025 | 10 | 3 |
| July 2025 | 4 | 3 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 34 | 10 |
| October 2025 | 16 | 10 |
| November 2025 | 10 | 7 |
| December 2025 | 20 | 4 |
| January 2026 | 21 | 13 |
| February 2026 | 68 | 13 |
| March 2026 | 16 | 11 |
| April 2026 | 11 | 9 |
| May 2026 | 64 | 10 |
| June 2026 | 18 | 6 |
| July 2026 | 23 | 8 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 8 | 5 |
| October 2026 | 15 | 1 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 104 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 Carlow-Kilkenny 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
In the interests of equity, will the Tánaiste seek an increase in the starting pay of cadets to bring it line with the starting pay of a three-star private, as both are similarly trained and qualified?
I thank the Tánaiste. I acknowledge his work to date on improving pay and conditions, some of which he has outlined such as quite rightly increasing pay for three-star privates and reforming the apprenticeship pathway so that technical staff beginning their careers in the Defence Forces correspond with three-star privates after six months. The Tánaiste has also overseen the introduction of the instructor's allowance …
I thank the Tánaiste, and I am happy to hear that it is with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. I implore him to follow that matter up with the Department, as neither the conciliation and arbitration scheme or national pay talks are going to address this low pay, given the no cost increasing caveat in the national pay deals, as he mentioned. Therefore, some…
87. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his plans for an expansion of the funding of the circular economy innovation grant scheme in 2025. [49232/25]
I thank the Minister of State. I welcome the funding that has been spent in this important area. In the most recent round of funding, small commercial start-ups and SMEs dominated the list of companies that had been awarded funding with only two, The Rediscovery Centre and We Make Good, accurately described as community enterprises. While these commercial start-up contributions to the industrial transition to circula…
That is music to my ears. I am glad to hear that. I wish to follow up on the Minister of State's point. There has been a large degree of support from the local authorities in Carlow and Kilkenny and they have been proactive with circular economy initiatives. For example, Carlow County Council recently completed a survey of businesses in the county to assess attitudes towards the circular economy and to inform future …
The programme for Government has many commendable commitments to support apprentices which, as a former apprentice myself, I welcome. Today, I wish to discuss the disparity in off-the-job training allowances that are currently being paid to metal fabrication apprentices. If two metal fabrication apprentices are doing the exact same training but one is working for a company that is registered as an engineering company…
I speak today about the cost of third level education in Ireland. The programme for Government states the Government will reform SUSI to better meet the needs of students and their families. This is something I welcome and I urge the Government to take action on it from this year onwards. My question today relates to the discontinuation of the reduction in the student contribution fee. Since the Minister, Deputy Lawl…
To echo what all the speakers have stated today, the ongoing genocide in the Middle East is abhorrent. Innocent civilians are being starved to death. Parents have no baby formula for their infants. This is happening in our world today. While I acknowledge the Government's work so far, we need to keep the pressure on. I hear from concerned people every day across counties Carlow and Kilkenny who are, quite rightly, ho…
I wish to highlight something that is happening across County Carlow, namely, the proliferation of solar farms. To be clear, neither I nor anyone I know in Carlow is against renewable energy regeneration, nor are we against our neighbours and friends who make a living from having wind or solar farms on their lands. In the area surrounding Rathoe village, though, there will potentially soon be in excess of 1,000 acres…
77. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the extent to which parents of adult children with a disability are consulted with regard to a future plan for their child; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32193/25]
Carlow-Kilkenny has much to offer in terms of amenities, education and jobs but we have a difficulty with providing houses for the people who would love to live there. Some of the difficulty relates to the provision of water and wastewater treatment plants and road infrastructure. Developer-led infrastructure provision and investing in services is the only way we will move forward. It is imperative that we make provi…
As it does every year, the UN today, 29 May, marks the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. This day serves to honour their dedication, bravery and sacrifice, and I pay particular tribute to the Irishmen and Irishwomen who have served, and continue to serve, our country with distinction and honour at home and internationally. As the Tánaiste knows, Irish peacekeeping began in 1958 and Ireland currently h…
I would like to shine a light on the dire need for an increased roads budget in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. The programme for Government states that the Government will invest in all road projects in the current national development plan, NDP, and consider additional important road projects as part of the NDP review. We all know we are in the midst of a housing crisis. Across Carlow town and county, we have b…
Like every Member, I am horrified at what is currently unfolding, and has been for months, before our eyes in Gaza. On Sunday, there was a little hope with the Israeli statement, which stated it would allow some aid to cross the border into Gaza. However, with this morning's news from the UN that no aid has reached any civilian in Gaza yet, I just could not sleep last night thinking of the little children, like my ow…
Disability is something that touches most of our lives. We all know someone who is living with a disability or is caring for someone with a disability, be that a seen or unseen disability. This lived experience should be what directs policy. It is people living with disabilities, or those who care for them, who know best what we need to change and how we can improve. I call on the Government to expand and invest in s…
167. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will provide an update on his recent trip to Lebanon and, in particular, his meeting with Lebanese officials about the ongoing legal proceedings in the matter relating to the death of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18043/25]
My question is also about Private Seán Rooney. As the Tánaiste knows, I have a special interest in the Middle East and in peacekeeping as a former UN peacekeeper. I travelled that road from Tibnin to Beirut Airport as Private Seán Rooney did. Can the Tánaiste provide us with an update on his recent trip to Lebanon? He outlined it to Deputy Ó Murchú, but if he has something else to add, I would be very grateful to hea…
I urge the Government to support calls for pension parity in our schools. The current lack of parity is adversely affecting our school secretaries and caretakers. All parents and caregivers know the vital role our school secretaries play in schools.
In the school I worked in as a SNA, our secretary is known by pupils and staff alike as Super Sue because she, like all school secretaries I know, including Nuala and Ma…
I stand to say what I wrote in a letter earlier this week to the Ministers, Deputies Browne and Chambers, and to express my incredulity at the dire situation coming to light in respect of the Uisce Éireann infrastructure deficits in Carlow town. I implore the Department of housing and the Minister for public expenditure, Deputy Chambers, and his Department to hold Uisce Éireann to account as it is dragging its feet o…
8. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Finance his views on how taxation measures could help arrest the decline in the uptake of electric vehicles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16104/25]
Will the Minister give his views on how taxation measures could help arrest the decline in the update of electric vehicles?
I thank the Minister for his response. I have been an EV driver since 2015, a so-called early adopter, and I am on my third EV. When I purchased my first EV, there were a number of incentives such as the SEAI grant that covered the entire cost of the charger. That has been greatly reduced in the intervening years. There was also free public charging and low road tax, as the Minister mentioned, as well. I realise that…
I thank the Minister and acknowledge the measures that have been implemented. A lot is often made of the insufficiency of the public charging network. I do not share that criticism myself because I have a home charger and rely solely on that. The Government decision to reduce VAT to 0% on solar installations in 2023 was hugely beneficial to my family and others like mine. It allowed us to invest in solar PV panels, w…