Cuirim fáilte roimh an deis labhairt ar an rún seo. Tá saincheisteanna maidir le Tusla ardaithe agam sa Dáil arís agus arís eile. Níl sé sin ceart go leor. I commend Independent Ireland on bringing this motion to the Dáil. I welcome this opportunity as I have raised issues with regard to Tusla on numerous occasions both here in the Dáil and in the justice committee. It is clear that there are major problems. Children…
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
It is fair to say that families across the State are in absolute shock at the rising costs they are facing, especially for petrol, diesel and home heating oil. The truth that is lost on the Government is that many of these families were already struggling long before these latest price hikes arrived. They were struggling because Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael removed vital cost-of-living supports in the most recent budget…
Well said.
That will not even cover the increase in the past two days.
At a time when petrol and diesel costs are rising again and when the Tánaiste's Government has indicated that it intends to raise carbon tax even further, does he understand the anger of people who cannot drive on their local roads because of the conditions? People in rural areas, as well as paying for huge fuel costs, are forking out for motor tax, local property tax, which the Government has increased, and soaring …
Have the Tánaiste's representatives not been telling him?
The Government cut the funding for local roads by €800,000.
But the Tánaiste is not answering it.
That is not good enough. We need a review.
Well said.
In recent weeks, we have seen how important special education is as an issue, not just for the children and families affected but to the wider community that recognises if a child gets the right educational support in the right school at the right time, it can have a profound and life-long benefit. We know special education will take different forms. For many children an SNA in a classroom will allow them to particip…
I want to be clear that whatever modules or extensions are needed in the short term to increase capacity at the current location should happen without delay. The Minister of State mentioned that the Minister visited the school and, of course, she was very welcome. I was in the vicinity when the parents of the children who attend had a discussion with her. They had one ask, which was to make sure there is a permanent …
The local post office is far more than just a place to send letters. In towns and villages across Ireland, the post office is the lifeline for communities. For many older people, those living alone and especially for people in rural communities, the post office is where the pension is collected, bills are paid and where the friendly face might be the only social contact somebody has that day. It provides vital access…
If we want to support our rural communities, we have to support the services, and the post office is the critical service among them.
I want to say what is abundantly clear: the failures for children with spina bifida and scoliosis represent a major scandal and the investigation and review of that scandal needs to be comprehensive. Families have been failed for far too long with too many broken promises. Therefore, nothing should get in the way of full truth and delivering on promises made.
I welcome progress made on the Michael Shine case but it …
I thank Deputy Ó Broin for his work on this legislation. This Sinn Féin Bill seeks to end the current planning exemption for IPAS and temporary protection accommodation. That exemption has been in place for too long. A standard measure of a democratic system is that communities should have the ability to provide input on planning proposals that affect the area in which they live. Legislation currently allows for IPAS…
That is not true.
There are no statistics to that effect.
There are no statistics to that effect.
I am speaking in response to the Minister. He is the one who wanted to bring this to the floor of the Dáil. He is the one who refused the opportunity provided to him by the Oireachtas justice committee to have deliberations across every single amendment and section where these should be discussed - in the committee chamber. He was the one who wanted to allow it to take place on the floor of this Dáil, which means tha…
Pressed.
I move amendment No. 16:
In page 26, after line 30, to insert the following:
“Transparency of accommodation contracts
14.(1) The Minister shall publish all contracts, subcontracts, financial schedules, performance reports, and compliance assessments relating to accommodation or services provided to international protection applicants.
(2) Publication shall occur no later than 30 days after the signing of the rele…
I have to say, the Minister talks a really good game.
The problem is that the facts do not back up what he is saying. He has spoken a number of times tonight about how he has increased State-provided accommodation. That was through the purchase of one centre. Let us be absolutely clear about it. It did not actually increase the capacity at all because it was a centre already in use at Citywest. I would argue that the way in which that purchase was handled vis-à-vis the …
In fact, I asked the Minister in committee if he would ensure that the beneficial owners of a company in receipt of potentially millions of euro in State money would be divulged to the public. He said that is not the way this Government does business.