I welcome the publication of the revised framework. It has been somewhat signposted as part of our response to the housing crisis. I hope it will have that impact as it goes on in the alignment between national, regional and local planning policy.
The revised framework reaffirms the commitment of the 2018 framework to balanced regional development, where 50% of the population's employment growth will be shared betwe…
TDs / John Connolly
John Connolly
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
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
The Minister of State cannot get involved with An Bord Pleanála. However, will he ask it to make its decision as quickly as possible?
Bhí na sluaite amach ar an R336 an Chéadaoin seo caite, agus beidh amárach, ag glacadh páirt i siúlóid agóide mar gheall ar cé chomh contúirteach is atá an bóthar sin agus an easpa muiníne atá ag tuismitheoirí a bpáistí a ligint dul ar scoil ag siúl nó ar rothar. Tá a fhios agam gur faoi dhualgas na comhairle contae atá an tsábháilteacht bóthair, ach ba mhaith liom aird a tharraingt ar an dul chun cinn mall atá déant…
There are nine phases of approval through the scheme. We need to look at it again.
Of the 421 schools, just 96 have had their work completed.
2. Deputy John Connolly asked the Taoiseach to report on the work of the child poverty programme in his Department. [9481/25]
The Taoiseach identified the six areas where the Government sees the potential to make the most difference to children living in poverty. One of those mentioned is family homelessness. If the Taoiseach will forgive me, I am going to be parochial on the issue. As the Taoiseach will be aware, the homelessness figures are calculated monthly per region for nine different regions.
A consistent statistic is that outside D…
110. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education if she is satisfied that sufficient efforts are being made to ensure teachers, schools and pupils are adequately prepared for the introduction of the new leaving certificate cycle in the next academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17201/25]
Cuirim ceist ar an Aire faoin obair atá ar siúl sa Roinn faoi láthair chun múinteoirí, scoileanna agus daltaí a shásamh go bhfuil an t-ullmhúchán ceart déanta acu don ardteist nua i mí Mheán Fómhair seo chugainn.
I ask the Minister about the efforts under way in the Department to make sure schools, teachers and pupils are adequately prepared for the introduction of the first tranche of the new leaving certificate or…
Aontaím leis an Aire go bhfuil chuile dhuine den tuairim go bhfuil gá le hathchóiriú ar chóras na hardteistiméireachta. I agree there is universal acceptance among all parties and partners in education of the need to reform the leaving certificate and introduce a new senior cycle, in particular one that, as the Minister says, would assess skills development and develop critical thinking rather than just content knowl…
I echo the point of my colleagues across the floor. Some 82% of teachers surveyed feel they require some guidance on AI in regard to the new leaving certificate and authenticating the work that will be produced as part of the additional assessment component.
I am glad to hear the Minister tell us tonight that thousands of students have selected their subjects, because some parents have advised me their child is conc…
I concur with what my colleague said. I welcome the opportunity to raise this issue. I am more recent to the story but I agree fully with Deputy Connolly's relaying of the history of the project and the previous efforts of public representatives to raise and progress it. There are two ambulances in Clifden, which would be the nearest town to where it is proposed to locate this base. Last week, a player suffered an in…
I agree with Deputy Connolly that the content is limited to what is relevant to the specific issue. One line in the reply says that, "Approval will then be sought to proceed to issue tender documents." This is concerning because, as Deputy Connolly said, we all had an understanding that not only had this approval been granted previously but also the tender documents were prepared and ready to go. I hope this term can…
9. Deputy John Connolly asked the Taoiseach the engagements he had with the National Emergency Co-ordination Group in the days before, during and after storm Éowyn. [13732/25]
It is difficult for people to believe that in the ten weeks since Storm Éowyn, people are still suffering landline and broadband outages. As my colleagues have said, that is across many parts of the country. We must ask what obligation the companies with whom we entrusted the responsibility for communications infrastructure to the citizens of the State have to the Government and to the people. It seems that some of t…
Mar a luaigh mo chomhghleacaí anseo, is é seo an chéad deis a bhí agamsa labhairt ar phíosa reachtaíochta sa Teach, cé go raibh cuid le rá agam ar ráitis agus ábhair eile. Seo an chéad phíosa reachtaíochta atá deis agam labhairt air, agus cuirim fáilte roimh an mBille. Mar atá ráite ag go leor daoine eile, guím gach rath ar an Aire agus é ag obair air. Gabhaim buíochas chomh maith leis an gcoiste Gaeilge a bhí againn…
9. Deputy John Connolly asked the Taoiseach the engagements he had with the National Emergency Coordination Group in the days before, during and after Storm Éowyn. [13732/25]
Tá a lán ráite ag na Teachtaí Ward agus McGuinness atá fíor. Rud a cheap mé féin le píosa ná go bhfuil orainn athrú meon ó thaobh úsáid na Gaeilge a bheith againn sa tír. Is é sin an dúshlán, go bhfuil ar chuile dhuine an méid Gaeilge atá aige nó aici a úsáid chomh minic agus is féidir leis nó leí. Más rud é gur féidir le chuile dhuine é sin a dhéanamh, beidh dul chun cinn mór déanta ó thaobh na Gaeilge agus a húsáid…
37. Deputy John Connolly asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education will meet next. [9480/25]
I welcome the establishment of the Cabinet committee. It will do important work and no doubt its work will complement that of the child poverty and well-being programme in the Department of the Taoiseach.
There has never been a greater awareness of the importance of well-being and wellness in enabling learning and educational progress. I have found in my professional experience that teachers are outstanding advocate…
15. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education the steps being taken to establish a new DEIS plus scheme, as per the programme for Government commitment. [8506/25]
The commitment in the programme for Government to establish a new DEIS plus scheme for schools is very welcome. What steps will be taken within the Department to develop that scheme? The existing scheme has been reflected on very positively by both schools and teachers who participate in what are currently considered DEIS schools and it has had independent verification of its success by reports from inspectors, among…
The Minister's comments on closing the gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools are interesting because in a number of our schools, the teaching personnel observe a level of disadvantage among pupils that is probably not recognised under the scheme. This is even in terms of how the existing scheme is calculated, for lack of a better term, or how schools are assessed for their inclusion. One aspect schools are finding in…
One of the advantages DEIS schools enjoy over non-DEIS schools is the position of the home school community liaison teacher. This is a valuable position that would be valued in any school. The Minister might look at closing the gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools and providing additional roles. We could arrive at a position whereby a home school liaison officer might work with several non-DEIS schools but it is cer…
17. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education what steps will be taken to operationalise the commitment in the programme for Government to introduce a new national small schools project for all 1,300 small primary schools to protect these school communities and develop new administrative supports. [8505/25]