Deputy McAuliffe has asked a pertinent question that is relevant to his constituency but in which I think we all have an interest. It is to ask the number of sanctioned special classes for children with additional needs, as announced earlier this year. The pertinent part is Deputy McAuliffe's request for the number of such classes it is hoped will be operational in autumn 2025.
I have raised with the Minister and th…
TDs / John Connolly
John Connolly
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1,092
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
53,367
words spoken in the chamber
Across 219 contributions
424
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
265
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 1,092 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 219 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 32 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 30 | 24 |
| March 2025 | 45 | 5 |
| April 2025 | 53 | 16 |
| May 2025 | 55 | 22 |
| June 2025 | 70 | 15 |
| July 2025 | 31 | 13 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 33 | 10 |
| October 2025 | 22 | 17 |
| November 2025 | 94 | 6 |
| December 2025 | 42 | 15 |
| January 2026 | 56 | 4 |
| February 2026 | 83 | 17 |
| March 2026 | 64 | 5 |
| April 2026 | 43 | 11 |
| May 2026 | 43 | 6 |
| June 2026 | 71 | 20 |
| July 2026 | 71 | 4 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 71 | 2 |
| October 2026 | 83 | 7 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 178 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 now
- party Fianna Fáil 29 November 2024 to now
I am always conscious when we are discussing this topic of the review that was undertaken of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act recently. The research that went into that highlighted clearly that the term "additional needs" is preferable to "special education". I am conscious of that and that my language should be more appropriate.
I very much welcome the recent announcement by the Minister…
I concur with the Minister of State on the quality of the teaching personnel who are being produced by our teaching colleges. I just think we need more of them. We genuinely need to review that. There are gaps and vacancies that will not be filled in September. I am concerned about that and I think we need to expand the number of teacher training places.
I will bring two other points to the floor for discussion with…
Last week, the Irish Cancer Society launched its pre-budget submission, which highlighted that patients in the west and north west face the longest wait time between cancer diagnosis and commencement of appropriate treatment. Dr. Michael McCarthy, president of the Irish Society of Medical Oncology and a consultant oncologist at University Hospital Galway, said:
Working in the West of Ireland, I see the human cost of…
I appreciate the Tánaiste's response greatly. The one line that really gives me hope is his comment that the master plan for the development of the regional hospital in Galway will be a game-changer. It certainly will. Some of the preliminary works to enable it have started. Some of the outpatient services have moved to Merlin Park University Hospital and there are plans to move more services there to ensure we have …
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as a bheith linn ar maidin chun an cheist seo a fhreagairt. The Galway transport strategy was launched with great expectation in 2016. It was heralded to develop an integrated transport system where infrastructural development and improved services would be integrated, giving commuters a greater option rather than simply relying on the car all the time. Regrettably, very few of the…
I had a concern prior to the Minister of State's answer and, in fairness, the answer has gone some way to explaining the decision. There seemed to be a lack of co-ordination in the NTA between the public transport section, which might be responsible for public transport infrastructural development, and the active travel section. That needs to be looked at in future projects. I recognise fully that the existing demand…
4. Deputy John Connolly asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education will next meet. [30268/25]
The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, informed the House last week that all teacher training courses will now include a period where the trainee teacher will work in a classroom for children with additional needs. That is welcome. However, I am concerned by the Department of education payroll review, which highlighted there were 1,800 vacant teaching positions within the system. Some 1,200 of the vacancies are in t…
In the aftermath of Storm Éowyn, the Government committed to a full review of the response of the State to the impact of the storm. As we recall, across the west and north west, there were extensive periods of outages of water, electricity, broadband and communications services.
It has had a large impact on the minds of people in that part of the country. Even today, constituents have reported to me an increase in t…
I welcome the outcome of the rail review study. I particularly welcome the outcome as it pertains to the recommendations it makes for my own constituency and for the west in general, especially the doubling of the rail track to Athenry and the proposed reopening of the western rail corridor. I know the Minister is familiar with this. However, I go back to the publication of the national planning framework about a mon…
I will start by mentioning the July provision in schools around the country. One of the many successful measures taken by the Minister of State's predecessor was the expansion of the in-school July provision to mainstream schools, which occurred following the Covid years. I am not sure if the Minister of State has the figures but I estimate that tens of thousands of children are currently participating in July provis…
131. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the progress made towards meeting the programme for Government commitment to support local authorities in the acquisition of new lands for parks and playing pitches; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34641/25]
There is a very progressive commitment in the programme for Government to support local authorities in the acquisition of new lands for parks and playing pitches to help build liveable communities. We all know the importance of active recreational spaces. Have efforts commenced to develop a strategy around that commitment?
The Minister of State noted many of the challenges that sports groups and local authorities meet in the development of facilities. The programme for Government also includes a complementary commitment to conduct a nationwide audit of sports facilities to address shortages in areas where there is a population of over 1,500. The audit will probably find a deficit in the provision of playing spaces in urban areas. I am …
The GAA has done a lot of analysis of its activities in different parts of the country. It is concerned about the future organisation of the GAA in some urban communities because the lack of playing space will limit its ability to undertake activities and increase its membership among new communities. That is worth noting in this debate. As a concrete example, in 2017 Galway City Council developed the Kingston master…
20. Deputy John Connolly asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [34058/25]
The healthcare sector is one sector of our public service that relies heavily on attracting and recruiting practitioners and staff internationally. In 2024, 6,000 of the 17,000 critical skills permits provided by the State were in the health or social work sectors, 5,031 of which were for nursing staff. In 2023, the OECD said that 54% of nurses working in Ireland had trained in other jurisdictions. The equivalent fig…
It has been very interesting to observe the debate and listen to the significant criticism and disapproval on the part of Opposition Members of what the Minister is bringing forward. Those same Members then say they do not intend to vote against the measure. In a very challenging scenario, the Minister has brought balance to a situation in which it is difficult to do so. Primarily, it is to his credit that he is prot…
I raise the recent report by the Department of Transport regarding the cost of congestion in the regional cities of Waterford, Cork and Galway. The report highlighted the cost of congestion in Galway will double between now and 2030, from €54 million currently to €107.4 million in 2030, which is an astronomical figure.
In the following decade, from 2030 to 2040, the cost for Galway is expected to stabilise to €106.9…
This reflects insufficient scale and coverage of public transport. The Taoiseach needs to examine the NTA and its role in regional cities.
6. Deputy John Connolly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence for an update on the development of a national maritime security strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31156/25]
As the Minister is aware, the Commission on the Defence Forces report proposed the development of a national maritime security strategy. I hear welcome news this morning that a public consultation process on the development of the strategy has been opened as of this morning. Will the Minister provide us with further information as to how the strategy will develop and evolve from here towards its completion? Will he p…
The Minister has outlined well the potential threats that exist to our subsea cable infrastructure and to other aspects of our maritime domain, which require addressing and this strategy. One other recommendation that came from the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces was that the powers required by the Naval Service for effective enforcement in support of national security in the maritime domain should be …
I welcome that the Minister will engage with Defence Forces personnel regarding a base for the Naval Service Reserve in Galway. There is little coastal coverage for the Naval Service between Limerick and Donegal, which is quite a wide area. Some of the subsea cables to which the Minister referred come into the country through Galway, including some of the transatlantic ones. Indeed, some cables come in north of Galwa…