The consistency.
TDs / Sorca Clarke
Sorca Clarke
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
1,743
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
42,297
words spoken in the chamber
Across 205 contributions. Plus 82 contributions from the chair, not counted
380
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
256
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 1,743 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 205 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 99 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 56 | 12 |
| March 2025 | 46 | 1 |
| April 2025 | 48 | 4 |
| May 2025 | 49 | 4 |
| June 2025 | 70 | 70 |
| July 2025 | 176 | 19 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 130 | 3 |
| October 2025 | 62 | 7 |
| November 2025 | 94 | 1 |
| December 2025 | 136 | 0 |
| January 2026 | 92 | 4 |
| February 2026 | 85 | 7 |
| March 2026 | 92 | 9 |
| April 2026 | 98 | 16 |
| May 2026 | 54 | 6 |
| June 2026 | 197 | 16 |
| July 2026 | 57 | 8 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 50 | 5 |
| October 2026 | 52 | 13 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 75 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 Longford-Westmeath 29 November 2024 to now
- party Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
I fully agree with the Minister of State's point about social media - I will not drag this on much longer, a Cheann Comhairle - particularly on the issue of eating disorders. This really strikes me. I remember when I was a teenager that the pro-ana or pro-anorexia movement was on MySpace and Bebo. This is not a new phenomenon but we have to get to the bottom of it because people are losing their lives to eating disor…
I move amendment No. 206:
In page 95, between lines 7 and 8, to insert the following:
“(e) prepare and issue a code of practice for—
(i) the conduct of psychosocial and capacity assessments, and
(ii) the formulation and implementation of collaborative care plans,
(f) review and update such codes of practice periodically, and
(g) consult with service users, mental health professionals, and other stakeholders in …
I move amendment No. 211:
In page 108, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following:
“(d) the progress towards and resource requirements for the extension of CAMHS towards a CYMHS for young people up to the age of 25, and the development of youth mental health clinical specialty,
(e) the estimated number of whole-time equivalent clinicians to fully and safely staff public mental health services, and
(f) the e…
I move amendment No. 212:
In page 109, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:
“(3) The Commission shall within 12 months publish a report on the quality and independence of complaints processes and make recommendations for the strengthening of such processes.”.
Amendment No. 213 is fairly simple. It seeks to align the vision from previously published documents and promote distributed leadership across mental health services. Twice earlier this evening, I spoke on the wrong amendment at the wrong time, but this is the one I was speaking of.
Throughout the document, there are references to consultant psychiatrists, whether that be child or adult consultant psychiatrists. The…
I move amendment No. 228:
In page 120, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following:
“ “community mental health services” means a mental health service which provides either urgent or routine care and treatment in a place other than a registered acute mental health centre or registered community mental health centre, including such services as crisis intervention teams;”.
I want to speak to amendment No. 234 and in general to this area of regulation. I speak of this and while there is not a direct link, there is absolute correlation. I am going to mention the RTÉ Investigates programme and the HIQA report, HIQA having been in with the health committee this morning. The reason I bring it up is that I do not ever want to see this State being in a position where the abuses we saw of olde…
I move amendment No. 247:
In page 135, line 30, to delete “consultant psychiatrist” and substitute “qualified mental health professional”.
These amendments seek in similar ways to the previous amendment I spoke on to align the language of the Bill with policies previously published and to promote distributed leadership across mental health services. I believe the role should be competency-based and discipline non-s…
I move amendment No. 248:
In page 135, line 35, to delete “consultant psychiatrist” and substitute “qualified mental health professional”.
I move amendment No. 252:
In page 145, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following:
“5-year sharing the vision funding and implementation strategy
177.(1) The Minister shall, within 12 months of the passage of this Act, publish a five-year funding and implementation strategy for mental health services.
(2) The strategy referenced in subsection (1) shall be reviewed annually by the Mental Health Commission.
…
I move amendment No. 264:
In page 148, between lines 35 and 36, to insert the following:
“Regulations concerning care plans
181.(1) The Executive shall keep and maintain records for the purpose of—
(a) identifying persons to whom mental health services are being provided,
(b) identifying those services and the persons providing the services pursuant to this Part,
(c) specifying the aggregate needs identified by…
The Taoiseach said earlier utilities need certainty and so do people. Residents and businesses in Ballymahon and Ardagh in Longford have had enough. Last year, Ardagh's water supply failed 13 times and there were five more failures this year, excluding storm-related outages. It is a long-standing problem and is unacceptable. It is upending the daily lives of ordinary people, families, farmers and businesses.
Despite…
There is not.
But there are none.
What those crowds outside the gates during the Minister of State's ten-minute speech heard was waffle and spin. They live the reality of this Government's failed housing policies. Their families, friends and co-workers live this reality. They know as well as we in opposition do that the Government at this stage might as well be a meme for fiddling while Rome burns when it comes to housing, because that is what it is …
Hear, hear.
In July 2020 there were 2,112 children waiting on a first-time appointment with CAMHS. Of those, 747 had been waiting for over a year. According to the reply I received this morning to a parliamentary question, there are 4,554 children now waiting on a first-time appointment with CAMHS, of whom 763 have been waiting for over a year. This is an eye-watering increase of more than 200% in children waiting on a first-tim…
I welcome this amendment. It is incredibly positive. For far too long those who have lived and who have endured domestic abuse have seen that abuse in other areas outside of the family home. To think that it could be extended to somebody who is suffering with their mental health is absolutely deplorable. This amendment is a good one and we will certainly support it.
I move amendment No. 6:
In page 14, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following:
“ “dual diagnosis” means the term used when a person experiences both a substance abuse problem and a mental health issue such as depression or an anxiety disorder. Treatment options must address both;”.
This amendment deals with the unaddressed issue of dual diagnosis and its treatment in our mental health services. It seeks to en…
I do not doubt the offer made by the Minister of State is genuine and my door is always open to her and we will talk further. I cannot withdraw this amendment and I will push it to a vote for the very reason Deputy McAuliffe mentioned. The DCU report was in 2019. It is now 2025, we are still standing here, and this is still an issue. With a view to those who are struggling with addiction and mental health issues, to …
This is one of those unusual situations where we agreed the original wording that was in the proposed Bill simply was not strong enough and did not quite reflect modern society. It was very dated. It did not have that modern language that people who are struggling with their mental health need to see. It also did not reflect or capture those struggling with mental health issues who do not have a formal diagnosis. It …
The Minister of State said at the committee meeting this morning that she would follow up on the contribution from the IMO on this issue because she had not seen it all. I am unsure if she has had a chance to do so. It is an issue of real concern to parents, not just those of children who may be 16 to 18 years of age but parents of adults in their early 20s who suffer from eating disorders. It is of profound concern …
Amendment No. 32 has been ruled out of order on the basis that it could potentially impose a charge on the Revenue, which I find quite flippant seeing as it would actually redirect funding into a CAMHS bed. The Minister of State spoke of not wanting to tie the hands of a consultant who is in a very difficult situation behind his or her back. Nobody wants to do that. However, this is actually in breach of the UN Conve…
To have an appropriate level of inpatient CAMHS beds would absolutely be the pinnacle and that is where we need to get to. I recommend to the Minister of State that the young people who were placed in adult psychiatric units, voluntarily or involuntarily, should be brought back in as part of the five-year review. In five years, we will have the first opportunity to review the implementation and effectiveness of this …