This is an issue I am particularly passionate about and I appeal directly to the Minister in this regard. Whistleblowers are telling us they are being failed by the legislation. The Minister has responsibility for it, albeit he has advisers and all of that, and I am appealing directly to him to really look, by way of the review, at the best way to ensure whistleblowers are specifically protected and to take that on b…
TDs / Mairéad Farrell
Mairéad Farrell
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
1,072
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
77,415
words spoken in the chamber
Across 359 contributions. Plus 93 contributions from the chair, not counted
363
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
266
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 1,072 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 359 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 21 | 5 |
| February 2025 | 74 | 21 |
| March 2025 | 51 | 21 |
| April 2025 | 47 | 41 |
| May 2025 | 64 | 12 |
| June 2025 | 104 | 15 |
| July 2025 | 58 | 24 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 26 | 2 |
| October 2025 | 30 | 26 |
| November 2025 | 59 | 5 |
| December 2025 | 45 | 30 |
| January 2026 | 46 | 4 |
| February 2026 | 70 | 3 |
| March 2026 | 72 | 19 |
| April 2026 | 48 | 15 |
| May 2026 | 63 | 28 |
| June 2026 | 93 | 10 |
| July 2026 | 57 | 30 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 24 | 8 |
| October 2026 | 20 | 40 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 209 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 Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
4. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the status of the removal of pay ceilings for CEOs of Irish commercial State-owned enterprises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70885/25]
I would love to say more about whistleblowers but we must move on. This question is about the status of the removal of pay ceilings for CEOs of State-owned commercial enterprises.
It is unbelievable to me that being out of line with the market and being competitive only ever in this Chamber relates to those people who are on the highest income. It is never about competitiveness for low-wage workers. It is never out of line for low-wage workers. The Minister's decision to remove these pay ceilings has resulted in pay increases for CEOs of Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann of €50,000 and €75,000. …
I do not think the Minister can seriously come into this Chamber and say his budgets have delivered for people in poverty. One in five children is living in poverty under the Minister's watch, while 15% of the State's population is living in poverty.
The Minister talks about an independent recommendation committee on the pay of CEOs in the top 1%. Where is his independent recommendation committee for people who are …
It is not. Children in poverty.
The Minister must know that narrative is what is causing this.
13. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the position regarding investment in critical infrastructure in the west of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70765/25]
It will come as no surprise to the Minister that I am raising the issue of critical infrastructure in the west. Thankfully, the storm this week did not hit Connemara in the way Storms Éowyn, Bert and Darragh did last year. However, we still have the aftermath and impact of those storms. The Minister knows Connemara well. If he travels around Connemara now, he will see there are still wires on the ground and poles han…
I understand what the Minister said about things not being done in an area-specific way but, rather, in terms of Departments. I also know that he is the Minister for infrastructure, and he has an understanding of the west of Ireland. He has links to the west and knows Connemara well from his time as Minister for the Gaeltacht. I know, and I am sure the Minister knows, the serious lack of basic critical infrastructure…
When I look at infrastructure in the west I see it in two veins. There is obviously the serious capital investment needed for those bigger projects.
The Minister has outlined some of them. Any investment there is welcome but there are also thee basic things that need to be done immediately.
The Minister will remember the snow during Storm Bert, which had serious implications across Connemara. We then had Storm Darr…
In relation to the expected commencing of the construction of school buildings, I am aware the Minister of State recently visited Lakeview School, which is an important school on the east side of Galway city. As he will know, unfortunately, it is only able to place five students for the 2026-2027 school year. There is a waiting list of 11 children who cannot be accommodated due to space constraints. The school has th…
We are entitled to ask questions.
Having listened to what the Minister of State said here today, it seems quite clear to me that there is no will from Government to change this. The reality is that this is affecting real people's lives as it does day and day out and as it does today while people are waiting to have procedures and consultations. We are talking about people waiting in the emergency department in Galway University Hospital for the care …
We may need to suspend for five minutes while we get clarity because a new amendment would be required and we do not currently have one in front of us.
The current amendment provides for 12 months. We will suspend briefly to get clarity and make sure the procedure is correct.
Is it agreed, by leave of the House, to amend the Government's amendment to substitute "nine months" for "12 months"? Agreed. In that case, I will now put the question on the amended amendment.
There are two issues in this area I wish to raise. The first relates to online banking and the second relates to online scams. I have raised these scams on numerous occasions over the past three years because I have been consistently contacted by people who have been affected and impacted by them. From the experiences of those I have been contracted by, it is particularly an issue at Christmas time, when people are u…
In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time this evening. We will now suspend until 12 noon.
Last month, a report by the International Energy Agency found that energy companies are buying electricity at a third of the price they are selling it at. We have hard-pressed working people and families being absolutely fleeced by big energy companies. The report confirms that sky-high energy prices are not the result of unpredictable global market shocks. Quite simply, they are being set by price-gouging energy com…
I, too, like the previous speaker, have been a public representative for some time. I have been a public representative for the last 11 years and I have to say, I have never seen the housing crisis as bad as I am seeing it now. To be honest, at this point, I nearly think it is with intent. I am dealing with people, and we know the homeless figures are increasing every month, but I also see the impact of the housing c…
I want to begin by saying the response from Government was outrageous. We have whistleblowers here today who clearly fed into this fantastic motion that Independent Ireland put forward and all we got from the Minister of State was gaslighting. To say it is not a Bill and, therefore, he cannot back it is nonsense. Deputy Buckley and I introduced a Bill four years ago and it was not acted on. Also, this motion has reco…
The Government can legislate.
I again raise the 424 bus service, which is still leaving passengers at the side of the road day in and day out. The bus serves Connemara, from Lettermullen and Carna into Galway city, but once it gets to Bearna, it is full, leaving commuters on the side of the road without a bus service. This is a ludicrous situation, with approximately 2,000 people living in the Bearna area and especially when Galway city's traffic…
Over the past ten or 11 years that I have been a public representative in Galway, every single year the rental situation gets worse. Over the past five years - between 2020 and 2025 - rents have increased by 75% in Galway city. In the past 12 months alone, rents in Galway city have increased by 12.6%. The average monthly rent is now €2,300.
As an Teachta Doherty said, our amendment is something for which we had camp…