It is not a secret when you refer-----
TDs / Niall Collins
Niall Collins
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
223
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
63,958
words spoken in the chamber
63,945 as a minister, 13 as a TD
351
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
87
topics asked about
Across 17 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 223 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 201 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 14 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 13 | 7 |
| March 2025 | 10 | 7 |
| April 2025 | 16 | 2 |
| May 2025 | 11 | 7 |
| June 2025 | 12 | 3 |
| July 2025 | 13 | 40 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 10 | 13 |
| October 2025 | 11 | 27 |
| November 2025 | 14 | 8 |
| December 2025 | 9 | 4 |
| January 2026 | 6 | 8 |
| February 2026 | 15 | 5 |
| March 2026 | 16 | 7 |
| April 2026 | 4 | 8 |
| May 2026 | 11 | 20 |
| June 2026 | 16 | 0 |
| July 2026 | 8 | 21 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 10 | 1 |
| October 2026 | 4 | 13 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 146 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 Limerick County 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fianna Fáil 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister of State at the Department of Justice 29 January 2025 to 4 June 2025
- office Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration 5 June 2025 to 28 May 2026
- office Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine 28 May 2026 to now
-----to publicly available information.
The development of renewable energy is an important issue. Therefore, it is useful to have the opportunity to update Members of the Dáil on the status of planning guidance with regard to wind and solar energy development. From a planning perspective, the programme for Government contains commitments to prioritise the publication of the wind energy development guidelines and to introduce new planning guidelines for so…
Deputy O’Hara knows that I represent a constituency that is very similar to his. I attended a number of meetings there during the summer. I understand all the concerns and issues he has highlighted because I have heard them in my constituency. I am also advocating on behalf of my constituents. They want to see the new wind energy guidelines published as soon as possible. The delay has been completely unacceptable. I …
I thank Deputy Lawlor for raising this important topic. I am replying on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Darragh O'Brien.
The Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding of public transport, but neither he nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. Statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport …
This year, the NTA introduced a new distance based zonal fare structure for the greater Dublin area. This move aims to make fares equitable, more consistent and easier to understand with significant reductions for many commuting from outer areas aligning prices more closely with distance travelled. I acknowledge the vital role commercial bus operators play in the overall public transport network by providing essentia…
I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley.
The programme for Government commits to securing a thriving and resilient seafood sector. The appointment of a Minister of State with responsibility across fisheries and the marine to co-ordinate and integrate these key policy areas, in addition to the establishment of the Oireachtas Joint…
I again thank the Deputy for raising this issue, specifically in relation to Howth Harbour. He has rightly highlighted the need for the EPA consent, which I will absolutely follow up with my colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley. As Deputy Brabazon has pointed out quite correctly, it impacts on the commercial sector within the harbour of Howth. It also impacts on the leisure sector and people who are involve…
I thank both Deputies for raising this important matter.
I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Transport. From an aviation safety perspective the regulation of the recreational and commercial use of drones, which are also known technically as unmanned aircraft systems, UAS, is provided for under the European Union regulations that are directly applicable in Ireland. Two drone-specific EU regulations ensure d…
I am aware that the rapid pace of expansion of UAS operations has resulted in challenges and generated real concerns and uncertainty among communities, particularly around issues of noise, intrusion and privacy. The recently published policy framework seeks to identify and address any policy, regulatory or legislative gaps. It aims to facilitate consideration of how matters such as planning and environmental issues w…
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I note he is raising it in conjunction with his two colleagues, who, unfortunately, are not here to partake. I recall that my Fianna Fáil colleague, the other TD in the area, Tom Brabazon, raised this issue at a Fianna Fáil party meeting recently when we were discussing the whole area of sustainable communities.
In the first instance it should be noted that the provision of…
As I stated at the outset, the provision of amenities and services is a core element of the plan-making process and is key to promoting the development of balanced and sustainable communities.
Section 10 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 sets out mandatory objectives which must be addressed by local authorities in their development plan, including objectives for the integration of the planning and sustainable…
I thank Deputy Quinlivan for giving me the opportunity to address the House on capacity at University Hospital Limerick and provide an update on measures that are being taken to alleviate overcrowding. Reducing emergency department overcrowding and reducing waiting lists is a priority for this Government. Many patients are still waiting too long for hospital appointments and treatments. UHL has one of the busiest eme…
There is no doubt that when people get through the emergency department at UHL, the care and treatment they receive up the house and in their journey through UHL in the main is very good and very high quality.
That needs to be acknowledged and put on the record. Very often, the political narrative around UHL dismisses the very fine work that is going on there at all levels by porters, nurses, doctors, senior house officers, consultants and those at administration level. Of course, there have been some very unfortunate high-profile individual cases which have been in the news. They should never have happened but unfortunate…
I have outlined the significant investment and the significant progress that the Government has made over recent years, particularly since Fianna Fáil returned to government in 2020, by almost doubling the operational budget, increasing the workforce by well over 1,000 and increasing bed capacity. There has been a robust response. The Deputy said there has not been a robust response. I would argue that he is wrong. W…
Sorry, I have the floor. Sinn Féin describes the problem and provides a commentary on the problem, which is fine and we are all well able to do that. What would Sinn Féin do differently? How would it resource it differently?
Sinn Féin has never outlined a detailed proposal.
It will not take An Coimisiún Pleanála two years to reach a decision on the second 96-unit block.
The delivery time for decisions through An Coimisiún Pleanála has drastically fallen, thankfully.
I passed UHL recently; it is a massive building site.
There is huge investment going on there.
A lot has been done and I accept that more needs to be done. It is incumbent on everybody to point out the positives of it as well.
There are challenges there, but there are plenty of positives.
On behalf of the Minister for Health, I thank Deputy McAuliffe for raising this important matter. Addressing waiting lists is a high priority for the Government and substantial investment has been made to address waiting lists across a range of acute and community health services. A previous review of audiology services, published by the Health Service Executive in 2011 as the national audiology review group report, …