I have a specific question on the external review into spinal care in Temple Street hospital which began in September 2023, nearly two years. I understand it is still at phase 1. That report was on top of all the reports we know about, such as the Boston review on spinal surgery for patients with spina bifida; the HIQA review on the use of surgical implants in September 2023; and the Developmental Dysplasia of the Hi…
TDs / Catherine Connolly
Catherine Connolly
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
407
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
80,798
words spoken in the chamber
Across 360 contributions. Plus 43 contributions from the chair, not counted
132
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
141
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 charts stop when they left the Dáil.
Questions asked 407 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2025
Contributions to debates 360 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2025
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 1 |
| January 2025 | 3 | 1 |
| February 2025 | 81 | 38 |
| March 2025 | 62 | 61 |
| April 2025 | 49 | 68 |
| May 2025 | 52 | 89 |
| June 2025 | 50 | 47 |
| July 2025 | 47 | 23 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 25 | 21 |
| October 2025 | 38 | 11 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 238 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 Galway West 29 November 2024 to 25 October 2025
- party Independent 29 November 2024 to 25 October 2025
That is the one I am interested in.
Is it part of the report already?
Go raibh míle maith agat.
Over seven years ago, the Government made a very good decision to bring in a policy for sustainable fishing in the 6-mile nautical zone. The policy was to prohibit big boats, over 18 m, from fishing in that zone. Unfortunately, that decision was held invalid by the Court of Appeal on a very narrow ground. The Government went back to basics and had a consultation process to bring in another policy. It was announced in…
It was to be eased in, but it is not-----
I welcome any strategy that has human rights in it. I, therefore, welcome the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People. However, if I go to the back of it, I see that there is a fundamental misunderstanding. On the last page, it states that their message is clear: people with disabilities want to be treated the same as everyone else. That is not accurate. They do not want to be treated the same as everyone …
I am conscious this is the last day of term. The revised national development plan is going to be published within two weeks. On many occasions, I have drawn the Tánaiste's attention to the lack of infrastructure in Galway and I do so again. This is a major obstacle to development. Galway is one of the cities to be developed in a sustainable way. On the east side of the city, there is no wastewater treatment plant an…
Go raibh maith agat.
In Senator Frances Black's occupied territories Bill in 2018, she set out four categories of trade: the import of goods; the import of services; the export of goods; and the export of services. Inexplicably, the Government's Bill has left out three of those categories. This is despite the unequivocal advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice that Israel's continued occupation of the occupied territories …
Fórsa, on behalf of caretakers and secretaries in schools, has served formal notice on 2,000 schools of indefinite strike action at the end of August. They have been forced into this position due to the lack of action from the Government in relation to parity and equality for caretakers and secretaries, as are given to SNAs, teachers and principals. It has long been recognised that schools cannot function without sec…
In my four minutes, I will make some general comments rather than going into the terms of reference, although I share the difficulties. I would have preferred if the terms had come before the Dáil so we could have looked at them and discussed them. We should have learned from previous debacles, but that has not happened. I welcome the Minister’s work but we are now left with a fait accompli in relation to the terms o…
101. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 60 of 29 May 2025, if the 2024 figure, due mid-year, in respect of the value of all State investment in Israel bonds, is now available; if Ireland, through the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF, has now entirely divested itself of direct holdings of Israel bonds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39…
I am following up on an issue I have raised more than once in respect of the State investment through ISIF in Israel war bonds. I ask the Minister to be very specific. I got the figure for 2023 in a written reply. We had to wait for the 2024 figure. What was that figure? What is the figure for 2025? Will the Minister explain why we are investing in war bonds when genocide is taking place?
I am glad ISIF has divested of its investment. I received a written reply to a query, which stated that in 2023, the investment was worth €2.62 million. That was the year Hamas crossed the border and Israel started on this genocide.
In 2024, as the genocide continued and worsened, this State invested more money in the bonds. It was not an awful lot more, but there was an increase to €3.62 million. The Minister seeme…
I will use the time the Minister has not used. I accept he has nothing to do with those decisions and that ISIF is an independent body. However, he has an opinion and is a part of a Government that says genocide is taking place. He stood over a situation whereby through either a lack of knowledge or otherwise, he could not tell me how much money was being invested. Suddenly we have the information. When I received th…
The Secretary General of the UN has told us:
What we are witnessing in Gaza is a level of death and destruction that has no parallel in recent times. And it is something that undermines, I would say, undermines the most basic conditions of human dignity for the population of Gaza, independently of the enormous suffering that they are having.
We are investing in that genocide.
The Minister's Government plays a role in doublespeak.
I raise the Health Service Executive report from yesterday on the care of some women in Portiuncula hospital. The results are shocking enough that this could be replicated in other hospitals. Equally shocking and perhaps more is that we utterly failed to learn from the Walker report in 2018 and the same mistakes have been repeated. I am particularly aware of the national maternity strategy. We clearly need a debate o…
I thank the Minister for his detailed speech. Let me recognise the progress made in terms of legislation. We are on our third national strategy. We have an action plan. The Minister is promising three pieces of very important legislation in regard to the removal of guardianship rights for a person who has been convicted of killing, the issue of counselling records which has already been referred to and needs more det…
I am glad in a sense that the Minister of State is responding to this because he took a hands-on approach to another matter and he might have some influence here.
I am standing here seven years after the Government introduced a wonderful policy. None of us had a problem with it. It was a policy to ensure the sustainability of fishing within the six-nautical mile zone by banning trawlers measuring more than 18 m. Non…
I have no problem with missing Ministers of State. I understand how busy they are. Personal contact never impresses me although I am delighted when Ministers of State make personal contact. What impresses me more are answers on paper. Where are we with the analysis of the 5,500 consultations? I heard in the Minister of State's answer that "the policy context has changed since 2018" and that the people making submissi…
The sound is more important than the vision, I think, on this occasion.
I call an Teachta David Cullinane. Two speakers are listed but there is just the Teachta here at the moment.
This motion is necessary, urgent and overdue and I thank the Social Democrats for bringing it forward. People are carrying the cost of a crisis they have nothing to do with. We can continuously talk about taking measures to deal with rising costs, and the Social Democrats outlined actions relating to it. Change the legislation and take action to bring about the necessary structural changes or we can go on forever eve…