I move:
That Dáil Éireann shall take note of the Report of the Joint Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration entitled "Report on Civil Legal Aid", copies of which were laid before Dáil Éireann on 2nd July, 2026.
Cuirim fáilte roimh an deis labhairt faoin gcúnamh dlí sibhialta agus faoi thuarascáil an choiste inniu. Ní mór don Aire dul i ngleic leis an gceist seo go práinneach.
I am delighted to have the o…
TDs / Matt Carthy
Matt Carthy
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
1,949
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
191,198
words spoken in the chamber
Across 883 contributions
389
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
252
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 1,949 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 883 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 1 |
| January 2025 | 17 | 27 |
| February 2025 | 205 | 39 |
| March 2025 | 172 | 56 |
| April 2025 | 111 | 43 |
| May 2025 | 119 | 40 |
| June 2025 | 67 | 39 |
| July 2025 | 104 | 45 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 122 | 11 |
| October 2025 | 99 | 70 |
| November 2025 | 109 | 25 |
| December 2025 | 50 | 58 |
| January 2026 | 200 | 49 |
| February 2026 | 119 | 90 |
| March 2026 | 101 | 48 |
| April 2026 | 66 | 45 |
| May 2026 | 41 | 46 |
| June 2026 | 48 | 46 |
| July 2026 | 86 | 52 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 1 |
| September 2026 | 84 | 33 |
| October 2026 | 29 | 19 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 471 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 Cavan-Monaghan 29 November 2024 to now
- party Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
I thank all who contributed to the debate: the Minister of State; my fellow committee members Deputies Mark Ward, Butterly, Ó Murchú and Gannon; and Deputy Barry Ward, who at this stage is nearly an honorary member of our committee.
The truth is civil legal aid has been in crisis for a long time and there has been far too little urgency in dealing with it. It has not got the attention it deserves from successive Min…
Cuirim fáilte roimh an deis labhairt inniu chun tacú leis an leithscéal seo ón Stát agus chun mo chomhbhrón a chur in iúl do theaghlach Stack. I also want to welcome today's State apology to the family of Brian Stack and to repeat that the shooting of Brian Stack was wrong. It was a terrible loss for his family and should never have happened. I again offer my sincere sympathies to his wife Sheila and their three sons…
I move:
notes that:
— drug dealers and organised criminal gangs are terrorising families, exploiting vulnerable young people and holding entire communities to ransom through intimidation, threats, extortion and violence;
— the activities of these criminal gangs represent a direct assault on community safety, with residents, families and local businesses forced to live in fear in their own neighbourhoods;
— drug-r…
I really wish the people who voted for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael got to hear the Minister of State's speech in full because they would see a Government that is out of touch and completely detached from the realities people are going through. Without an ounce of shame, the Minister of State talks about France and talks about everything apart from the issues that are being discussed around kitchen tables across Ireland…
1. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of protected disclosures made by members and staff of An Garda Síochána, either directly to his Department or through internal Garda channels, and to Fiosrú, in each of the past five years; and the number upheld, dismissed or under examination. [70836/26]
My first question relates to the protected disclosures regime within An Garda Síochána and what have been fairly serious and damaging allegations made publicly, including in an "RTÉ Investigates" programme. Has the Minister carried out any assessment of whether the protected disclosures system is functioning? Could he outline how many such disclosures have been made by Garda members and staff over the past five years…
The protected disclosures regime was put in place to ensure we would not have a recurrence of previous scandals within An Garda Síochána. We are aware that protected disclosures have been made regarding the mishandling of weapons, the misuse of State funds and defective Garda holsters. These are very serious issues, but almost as serious is the allegation that those who made disclosures are actually sidelined, obstru…
This is important for public confidence. It is also important for gardaí, either now or in the future, who might be inclined to make a protected disclosure. I am not asking the Minister to make a judgment call on anything that was done previously. That will happen in time. What I am asking today is this: if a member of the Garda takes it upon himself or herself to make a protected disclosure to the Minister's Departm…
With respect, the Minister is not answering the question.
I am talking about how the Minister and his Department would deal with it. That is very disappointing.
3. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of appeals currently pending before the International Protection Appeals Tribunal. [70838/26]
The previous system has a backlog. What is the current backlog and, more important, what actions are the Minister and his Department taking to ensure the backlog is reduced, if not cleared, by the end of the year?
We are told that there are 21,000 cases under appeal. This was entirely predictable. How did the Government allow this to happen? How did we get to these unprecedented levels? The answer is that the Department has prioritised PR over efficiency. I have been in radio studios with the Minister of State when he has spoken about the reduction in the timeframe for international protection applications but he never refers …
I have a couple of supplementary questions. Does the Minister of State accept that delayed appeals mean increased costs as longer stays in IPAS accommodation result in higher costs for the taxpayer and longer periods of uncertainty? He has mentioned the figures for this year, including the completion of 6,900 appeals. I might have missed him saying it but is it not a fact that up to 30 staff were brought in from the …
The Minister of State blames the migration pact for those numbers increasing then.
I have been wondering whether a budget can be shocking but not surprising, but that is where we are. People are genuinely shocked that in the middle of the worst cost-of-living crisis for a generation there is yet another budget that will mean they will be worse off next year than they were last year. However, the people are not actually surprised that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have proven themselves to be so out of …
Hear, hear.
Hear, hear.
I implore the Taoiseach again to ensure an emergency funding package is provided to Monaghan and Cavan county councils in respect of local road restoration. In many areas, our local roads are in the most deplorable state I have ever seen. Over the past number of years, in real terms there has been a substantial reduction in the funding provided to those local authorities for these works. This year, bizarrely and amaz…
Cuirim fáilte roimh an díospóireacht seo faoi imirce agus saoránacht. Migration is a critical area of public policy that must be got right. Setting the terms of Irish citizenship is a matter of fundamental importance. Citizenship should reward integration and contribution to our communities and our country. Citizenship laws should be connected to a wider immigration framework but remain distinct. A migration strategy…
Hear, hear.
My party is on record as saying that we believe in a managed migration system. We believe in the first instance that this should be guided by Irish priorities, by the needs and wishes of the Irish people and by an Irish government rather than the European Union. The Minister of State's stated objective with which he concluded a speech in terms of having EU alignment in respect of migration management - is a mistake b…
128. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will remove excise duty from home heating oil in recognition of the severe pressures faced by families as a result of soaring costs. [68612/26]
The test of any disability Bill is very simple. Will it deliver better outcomes for children with disabilities and their families? Those families have heard enough about reforms, reviews and new processes. What they need has been stated many times. They need assessments and they need services. What I want to know is if this legislation will improve the scandalous situation affecting children with disabilities and the…