I appreciate that. I have engaged with the Central Bank in relation to this and it has provided me with the operating profits as commonly understood for motor insurance. It did not have them for the public liability. This is why I welcome this. This shows us two things. The insurance companies are making bumper profits. We know from the National Claims Information Database, NCID, reports that they are making three ti…
TDs / Pearse Doherty
Pearse Doherty
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
1,436
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
224,644
words spoken in the chamber
Across 1,657 contributions
378
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
236
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 1,436 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 1,657 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 1 |
| January 2025 | 10 | 20 |
| February 2025 | 135 | 57 |
| March 2025 | 93 | 120 |
| April 2025 | 59 | 72 |
| May 2025 | 117 | 111 |
| June 2025 | 79 | 75 |
| July 2025 | 132 | 106 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 89 | 38 |
| October 2025 | 75 | 81 |
| November 2025 | 79 | 163 |
| December 2025 | 51 | 102 |
| January 2026 | 64 | 37 |
| February 2026 | 72 | 98 |
| March 2026 | 53 | 95 |
| April 2026 | 64 | 140 |
| May 2026 | 78 | 75 |
| June 2026 | 67 | 102 |
| July 2026 | 60 | 16 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 2 |
| September 2026 | 39 | 90 |
| October 2026 | 20 | 56 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 1,142 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 Donegal 29 November 2024 to now
- party Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
170. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the updated projections from his Department in the wake of recent CSO inflation figures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73720/25]
Last week, the CSO published inflation figures of 3.2%. That is the highest rate we have seen in almost two years and way above what the Department of Finance projected on budget day. At that time, it was projected that we would be looking at an inflation rate for this year of 1.8%, which is starting to look like wishful thinking. How were the Department's projections so far off? Has the Tánaiste asked the Deputy to …
People are being crucified as a result of the cost-of-living crisis. I have raised this with the Tánaiste time and again. Inflation is going back up and is eating away at workers' wages. It is leaving households struggling to make ends meet. Real wages declined in 2022 and 2023. They only increased by 0.1% in 2024. We are in danger of seeing the same again in 2025. The Tánaiste has made the point repeatedly about wag…
I will go back over that again. I have not disputed that is the case in 2025; I am saying we may end up with it not being the case before the end of the year, because for the past three months, inflation has been outpacing wages. There are warning bells going off all around the place. Inflation stands at 3.2%. It was projected to be 1.8%. The Government delivered a budget. The Tánaiste is the guy who signed off on th…
172. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the steps being taken to address the situation where banks are maintaining high mortgage interest rates in order to maintain high profits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73721/25]
I have raised this issue with the Tánaiste over and over again. It is clear that people are being ripped off. I wonder whether that is the assessment of the Tánaiste, as Minister for Finance, or does he think it is okay that banks make €5 billion in profits and charge higher interest rates than the average in the EU. That is where they are making their money. It is not due to huge innovations. It is because of the Eu…
Deputy O'Callaghan made the point. To tell us that interests have dropped 0.2% in a year on weighted average, when the ECB has reduced interest rates seven or eight times in the past 16 months, is a nonsense argument.
It is a nonsense argument. The banks should be reducing their interest rates beyond the rate they are offering at this time. The ECB has given them the flexibility to do that by reducing the rate. I am not expecting them to be passed on percentage by percentage, but there is no doubt that Irish banks are creaming it off the backs of mortgage holders and the Tánaiste is doing nothing about it. His predecessor did noth…
Can I raise a point of order? I would like clarification because I was not aware of this. Are we allowed to ask supplementary questions on priority questions?
It was provided for there in the last question. Priority questions are protected, as far as I know today, from other Members interfering in them.
That is okay. I was not sure if it had changed or not, genuinely.
Exactly.
I agree with the Minister on the need to look long-term in the projections. When looking so far ahead, there are huge variances but we need to look beyond one year.
I recall that in his first speech as leader of Fine Gael, the Minister promised that a five-year tax strategy would be published by the end of last year. I cannot find that anywhere. Is it on the Fine Gael website, the Department of Finance website or th…
That is not a tax strategy.
176. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the engagement he has had with other members of the Government in relation to defective concrete block scheme since taking office, including to ensure that all victims of the defective concrete products scandal are treated as equal citizens and are able to access financial products and services on the same basis as everyone else; and if he will ma…
Since taking office, what engagement has the Minister had with his Cabinet colleagues and the Central Bank to ensure all victims of the defective blocks scandal are treated as equal citizens and can access financial products and services on the same basis as everyone else? I ask this because the State's response to this crisis continues to be characterised by unfairness. If you live in Donegal, where I acknowledge th…
The banking and insurance focus group is doing tremendous work. In fairness to BPFI, it has really engaged with it and included other organisations such as Insurance Ireland, valuers and so on. The Department of housing has refused to engage with them, which is ridiculous, to tell the truth. They should be part of the working group, as should other Departments. These are very serious people who are working through is…
BPFI has been engaging for nearly two years now and it has done a huge amount. These are very serious people.
The Minister mentioned the childcare facilities that I have raised with him. There are three childcare facilities that are community run. The Minister has been talking about State-run childcare facilities and all the rest but the three community childcare facilities in question – in Letterkenny, Raphoe and A…
Tá an Rialtas tar éis cliseadh arís is arís eile ar phobail chósta agus ar thionscadail iascaireachta na hÉireann. Léiríonn an géilleadh seo go bhfuil ganntanas iomlán suime ag Fianna Fáil agus Fine Gael maidir le saolta agus slí beatha na n-iascairí. Níor sheas siad suas dóibh riamh agus níl siad ag seasamh suas dóibh anois. Beagnach dhá bhliain ó shín, d’ardaigh mé cás Mhuireann Kavanagh díreach leis an Taoiseach s…
Sinn Féin is not opposing this legislation. I know the Minister is stepping in for Deputy Troy. I want to express my condolences to Deputy Troy and his family on the passing of his father. Our thoughts are with him at this difficult time.
I want to say two things in relation to this legislation. We facilitated the quick passage of this legislation. We support the Credit Review Office. We have signposted many of our …
Tá fearg mhór ann go mbeidh ar dhaoine leochaileacha íoc as pacáistí táibléad blister mar gheall ar chinneadh an Rialtais. Beidh tionchar ar leith aige seo ar dhaoine atá ag dul siar i mblianta agus ar dhaoine atá ag maireachtáil le néaltrú agus galar Alzheimer a bhraitheann ar na pacáistí seo. Tá a fhios againn nach bhfuil sé seo ceart. Caithfidh an Rialtas gníomhú chun a chinntiú go leanfaidh na daoine seo a bheith…
I asked the Taoiseach the question and he did not answer it. I asked him the question, with respect, of whether he believes people with dementia and Alzheimer's who were receiving the blister packs free of charge should be charged for them from 1 January. No matter what way the Taoiseach presents it, these packs were being funded. For right or wrong, they were being funded. Of course there are issues. The issue is th…
It was a Government decision that restricted the way in which pharmacies were claiming, and it has resulted in this. Will the Taoiseach please answer the question? Will he reverse the decision? Should people with dementia and Alzheimer's, who were getting it free, have to pay for it in January?
You put up the cost.