This is a straightforward question and Irish farmers deserve a straightforward answer. Did the Taoiseach or any member of his Government give any commitment or assurance, or make any side deal, formal or informal, to the European Commission to support, facilitate or not obstruct the approval of the Mercosur trade agreement? Yes or no? While on an official visit to China, the Taoiseach made statements that were widely…
TDs / Michael Collins
Michael Collins
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
326
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
214,846
words spoken in the chamber
Across 610 contributions
370
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
93
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 326 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 610 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 1 |
| January 2025 | 7 | 5 |
| February 2025 | 16 | 31 |
| March 2025 | 9 | 37 |
| April 2025 | 3 | 28 |
| May 2025 | 27 | 36 |
| June 2025 | 6 | 29 |
| July 2025 | 12 | 25 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 18 | 23 |
| October 2025 | 10 | 28 |
| November 2025 | 5 | 44 |
| December 2025 | 18 | 33 |
| January 2026 | 35 | 54 |
| February 2026 | 25 | 37 |
| March 2026 | 2 | 33 |
| April 2026 | 76 | 54 |
| May 2026 | 29 | 29 |
| June 2026 | 12 | 31 |
| July 2026 | 3 | 15 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 2 |
| September 2026 | 3 | 14 |
| October 2026 | 10 | 21 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 264 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 Cork South-West 29 November 2024 to now
- party Independent Ireland 29 November 2024 to now
I move amendment No. 1 to amendment No. 1:
A.
To insert the following after "expansion and imperialist ambitions":
", constituting a serious breach of international law and the sovereignty of a United Nations member state;
B.
To insert the following after "rights of the Ukrainian people":
"and is grounded in international law and the protection of civilians;".
C.
To insert the following after "does not provid…
I welcome this hugely important motion. I have been fighting in the business committee to have a discussion in the House on mental health services. It is certainly an emergency. I think every TD in this Chamber knows the reality. When people are in a mental health crisis there is almost nowhere for them to go. We see it in our clinics every single week.
Deputy O'Donoghue said we have to get this right. Sadly, it is …
Independent Ireland would support flexible remote working where it is genuinely practical, and I say genuinely practical. It should be agreed, obviously, with the employer, which would be hugely important to a lot of employers, but it is not an enforcement. I see where it has benefited my own community where quite a lot of people come from all over the world, never mind other parts of west Cork, to live and work remo…
The international situation is changing by the minute. These developments are a cause of huge concern to the Irish people and are causing huge concern across the world. Threats are being made to innocent people, which is something we as a neutral country must always condemn. We must always support those who are in great difficulty and continue to do that.
There are a lot of calls for the Taoiseach not to go to Washi…
Good God, this is not good enough. We have a Fianna Fáil MEP, Barry Andrews, who is after doing the same. Has the Government any Whip or any control over them? Are they out of control in Europe? Ming Flanagan failed to turn up today to vote for the people, despite all the oul social media nonsense he has every day of the week telling us what he is doing for the people. He forgot to turn up today to vote for the Irish…
They have had ample opportunity. It is my turn to talk. The Minister of State can talk after. They have had ample opportunity to take them and sit down with them and talk to those MEPs and they have not done that.
They have not got them to change their mind.
Sorry, but it is hugely important.
I respect that and I apologise. I withdraw that. I am sorry, but I am very annoyed and frustrated.
The bottom line is here-----
We had a motion here last week in relation to Irish Water. Anyone who looked seriously at the motion would see it was simply put: accountability and timelines. The Minister of State's side refused to agree to that motion. It was very simple. They could have made an adjustment, they could have done something about it but they did not want to because the Government does not want accountability. It is aiding and abettin…
I am back speaking about the Mercosur deal again. It is of huge importance this week in Strasbourg. We have asked the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste to attend the meeting in Strasbourg this week to let them know the importance of the situation we find ourselves in. Independent Ireland has written in Spanish and Italian-----
-----to each MEP there to make sure they are on our side of the border.
We need to make sure we are fighting that as well. I am talking to the Taoiseach, not to the Ministers of State.
This Bill is about something very simple, namely who we trust to go into homes of our older people and people with disabilities and what standards we insist on. Independent Ireland supports strong, common-sense regulation. Nobody wants low-quality or unsafe care happening behind closed doors. There are positives here. For the first time, home support providers will have to register with HIQA. There will be national s…
Uisce Éireann Infrastructure Delivery, Accountability and Repair Timelines: Motion [Private Members]
I move:
That Dáil Éireann:
acknowledges that:
— a significant proportion of the State's public drinking water and wastewater infrastructure remains leaking, overloaded, obsolete or non-compliant, resulting in boil water notices, service interruptions, supply restrictions and untreated or partially treated wastewater discharges;
— persistent delays in the delivery, repair and replacement of water and wastewater in…
Uisce Éireann Infrastructure Delivery, Accountability and Repair Timelines: Motion [Private Members]
I have already spoken.
Uisce Éireann Infrastructure Delivery, Accountability and Repair Timelines: Motion [Private Members]
As the Minister of State heard from each and every person who made a contribution here, accountability and communication are a massive issue with Uisce Éireann. That is the message that must go back from here. I know that People Before Profit had issues, as expressed by Deputy Boyd Barrett, but I do not see any amendment from its Deputies to this motion. They could have put in amendments. Anyway, that is another stor…
They are doing a good job.
I welcome the fact that the Irish Government has, on behalf of its people, voted against the Mercosur trade deal. This deal will open the floodgates to Brazilian beef produced to standards far below what we demand here and contaminated with banned growth hormones and antibiotics, as exposed by the Irish Farmers Journal. Our farmers, who uphold the highest food safety and animal welfare standards, will face devastatin…
I asked about the whip on the three MEPs.
I would like to be able to give my time to Mercosur but time is tight and another dirty deal has been done in Europe, at the expense of Irish fishermen. The mackerel quota and the whitefish haddock quota has been pretty much wiped out and it is an absolute disaster for Ireland's coastal communities. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea has recommended a cut to just 174,357 tonnes for 2026. That is…
I am going to be like a twin brother to Deputy Healy-Rae because I have very similar questions. The Minister will know, and I have said already, the International Council for Exploration of the Sea has just recommended a cut to the fishing quota, with 174,357 tonnes for 2026. That is a 70% drop from 576,958 tonnes last year. What we want to know is whether the Irish Government is taking a legal challenge. Is the Gove…
Put all the companies ahead of the Irish farmer. You are dead right, boy.