That is what he said. Words to that effect. The Minister does not publish the beneficial owners of companies. He does not let us know whether there is a number of companies who are perhaps getting less than €20,000 per annum that could be owned by the same people.
Crucially, what the Minister does not divulge is that while he tells us how much the company is getting paid, he does not tell us what we are actually get…
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 move amendment No. 17:
In page 26, after line 30, to insert the following:
“Matters concerning minors
14. The best interests of the child shall be primary consideration in the application of this Act, and the Minister shall have due regard to this principle in respect of all matters concerning minors.”.
Why has it been ruled out of order?
That is stretching it.
I move amendment No. 19:
In page 26, after line 30, to insert the following:
“Cap on daily expenditure for international protection accommodation
14. (1) The Minister shall, by regulations made under this Act, prescribe a maximum amount that may be paid per person per day by the State in respect of accommodation provided to applicants for international protection.
(2) Regulations made under subsection (1) shall s…
First of all, in respect of the debate-----
I will come to that. The Minister of State should not worry. In respect of the debate, the Government decided the format of this debate. Because it tied us into the EU migration and asylum pact, in respect of which there was a deadline, everything else in terms of the consideration of this Bill has been put to one side. We are now in a situation where this debate is being rushed, guillotined and taken on the floor of…
Is the Minister of State going to answer the question in respect of the rate cards?
No, the Minister of State has not. He did not answer a single one of the questions I put to him there. The question is about what is in the rate card and what the maximum payment within it is. I assume if it is a rate card that there is a maximum and a minimum. What is the maximum the Government is willing to pay? On what basis does it reach that decision?
Could the Minister of State please not give us this façade t…
I am just going to respond to that very briefly. We can only deal with what is in front of us. We are dealing with the International Protection Bill. We are bringing forward an amendment that is aimed at tackling something that has been clearly identified by the Comptroller and Auditor General, and by several journalists who have tried to ascertain some of the scandals. There are many scandals within IPAS contracts i…
May I speak to the section?
Section 15 concerns Eurodac. It is the first section to deal with the Child and Family Agency, Tusla. The Minister of State will know that we have a number of amendments in respect of the ability of Tusla to do the job it is asked to do. Last week or the week before, Judge Conor Fottrell of the Dublin District Court hit out at what he called profiteering by private operators that are providing unregulated placements …
I want to hear the Minister of State’s response on amendment No. 21 before I speak about it directly. Before that, I want to speak about amendment No. 79, which is grouped with amendment No. 21. I am not entirely sure why it is grouped because it relates to ensuring that in the statistics compiled by the Department, we include information provided by applicants for international protection regarding any prior immigra…
This is a product of the process we were left with because of the approach the Minister has taken to this Bill. We are now 20 minutes away from cut-off. I know the Minister had an issue with the number of TDs who spoke to a particular amendment but, realistically, we have not had a proper engagement on any amendment up until this point or on any section. As the Minister knew, when he insisted he was going to bring it…
It was just set out for the Taoiseach.
What Ministers and Government have relearned over the past number of days is a lesson they should have copped onto long ago. You do not mess with children with special needs or with the people who care for them because they will fight tooth and nail to ensure the people they love have their rights protected. There is a familiar phrase that anybody who engages with families of children with special needs will have hea…
8. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the status of the review of the critical skills occupations list and ineligible occupations list; whether the review will take into consideration the availability of housing in addition to the needs of the labour market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13201/26]
I would appreciate clarity on some specific points. The Minister of State said a new list will be published next month. I assume that means quotas will be allocated to various sectors. He also said that when deciding those quotas, the Department will give consideration to other factors including housing and access to services. What precisely does "take into account" mean? We know about the pressures, in particular on…
I do not dispute anything the Minister of State said. When deciding what level of a quota any given sector is having beyond the construction sector, he said that his Department takes into account housing need and housing availability. How does the Department take this into account? On the one hand, we need international workers to help us build the homes that we need but, on the other, we have a housing shortage. Whe…
102. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children on the waiting list for an assessment of need in counties Cavan and Monaghan, by county; and the number waiting more than three, six and 12 months. [13202/26]
My question is in respect of the unacceptable number of children who are currently waiting for an assessment of need in counties Monaghan and Cavan in my constituency. I ask the Minister for an update on the number of children who have been waiting more than three, six and 12 months.
The Minister of State started her response by saying this is a priority for the Government. I would hate to see it if it were not a priority for the Government. Some 550 children have been waiting over six months for an assessment of need in the two small counties, population-wise, of Cavan and Monaghan. That is 550 times that the members of Government have broken the law. They are obliged under the Disability Act 20…
Regardless of what the Minister of State says changes to legislation will do, it will be of no comfort whatsoever to those people who are watching the Government break the law as it currently is. I asked her a specific question in respect of Cavan and Monaghan. How many children last year actually received an assessment of need within the legal time limit of six months? I will ask that question again.
How many last year?
I thank the Minister for State for that. How many children last year in Cavan and Monaghan actually got their assessment of need within six months?