I move amendment No. 1 to Seanad amendment No. 44:
After subsection (3), to insert the following:
“(4) A provisional representative person or a representative person appointed in relation to an unaccompanied minor shall, in the performance of his or her functions, comply with child specific safeguarding standards, and in particular shall—
(a) ensure that all actions taken in respect of the unaccompanied minor are …
TDs / Matt Carthy
Matt Carthy
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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 will just make a couple of comments on that. The Minister's rationale for refusing to accept the amendment is, I believe, that there is no need for it. I would contest that.
On the Minister's latter point, I do not think there is any suggestion that people do not appreciate the challenges that are involved. We have had quite an amount of discussion on this at the Oireachtas justice committee. For sure, the committ…
Will the Minister respond to the question I asked in terms of Tusla?
You wait for a long time for a bus and then a number of them come at once. A number of my amendments are in this grouping and I will restrict myself to them, considering the timeline. I know amendment No. 1 to Seanad amendment No. 65 has been disallowed but I want to make the case very strongly that we need to end the use of for-profit providers of accommodation for those in Tusla care. That is what this amendment so…
Transparency is what the amendment asks for.
The ordinary working people.
He did not like that.
There are a million workers-----
Is the only way-----
Arrogance personified.
You went on holidays when it was happening.
You failed.
Has the Minister of State woken up? I wondered where he was.
Hear, hear.
For all the Government's arrogance and backslapping, the truth that Ministers have not divulged is that their TDs are under more pressure today than they have been in a political lifetime. This pressure is not coming from Sinn Féin or any other party but it is coming from their constituents. Yes, Sinn Féin tabled the no confidence motion but we are just the messengers.
The message has been sent loud and clear; the Government has failed and it has lost the trust of the people.
It refused to listen or to acknowledge the financial pressures faced by workers, carers, people with disabilities and families. It ignored small businesses, farmers, contractors, bus drivers, hauliers and virtually everyone else. It introduced a budget that made people worse off and then it had to be dragged kicking and screaming to act, and when it did it introduced half measures.
Those who have been making their v…
6. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht his engagement with other Departments and State agencies to support hotels in rural communities. [22908/26]
119. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for a report on any engagements or meetings she has had in respect of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement since January 2026. [22879/26]
144. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she has raised any objection with the European Commission in respect of the decision to provisionally apply the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement. [22877/26]
I commend the Labour Party on bringing forward this motion and Deputy Kelly on his persistent work in this area. It has been more than a year since the Minister took office so this motion is a timely opportunity to assess the progress that has actually been made on Garda numbers in the time since. Last year, as the Minister alluded to, there were two high-profile and much-lauded Garda recruitment campaigns. There wer…
What will the Taoiseach do for people on home heating oil?
Why do you not answer the question?
I am asking him to answer the question.
Let us call out what happened this week. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs voted against Sinn Féin proposals that would have substantially cut the cost of petrol, diesel and home heating oil. Instead they brought in measures that fall far short. Now we are arriving with a 2 cent cut in the NORA levy and the Government expects applause. That is not leadership. It is actually damage control. It is far too little far too la…