I welcome budget 2027 and the practical difference it will make to families, workers and communities across the country. This is a budget of over €125 billion that will provide support for households and businesses while investing in the public services and infrastructure a growing population needs. It will help with the pressures people face today while preparing Ireland for the challenges of tomorrow. It supports h…
TDs / Frankie Feighan
Frankie Feighan
Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
152
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
35,901
words spoken in the chamber
30,943 as a minister, 4,958 as a TD
420
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
69
topics asked about
Across 18 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 152 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 106 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 1 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 15 | 5 |
| March 2025 | 16 | 1 |
| April 2025 | 4 | 2 |
| May 2025 | 13 | 1 |
| June 2025 | 11 | 5 |
| July 2025 | 22 | 3 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 17 | 2 |
| October 2025 | 6 | 7 |
| November 2025 | 15 | 2 |
| December 2025 | 15 | 16 |
| January 2026 | 2 | 2 |
| February 2026 | 0 | 5 |
| March 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| April 2026 | 2 | 12 |
| May 2026 | 2 | 15 |
| June 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| July 2026 | 3 | 18 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 4 | 9 |
| October 2026 | 4 | 1 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 81 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 Sligo-Leitrim 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation 19 November 2025 to now
No.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and for giving me the opportunity to provide an update to the House on this important matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill.
I acknowledge the importance of addressing the long waiting lists. Many patients are still waiting too long for hospital appointments and treatments and the Government is conscious of the burden that this places on patien…
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and take this opportunity to confirm that the Government is absolutely committed to further strengthening orthopaedic services for all patients in line with Sláintecare. This is illustrated, as the Deputy will probably agree, in the significant funding increase South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital Cork has received over the past number of years. Additionally, the Wai…
I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue, and for raising the case of Tom, who is nine years of age, and of his mother, Niamh, who has sought assistance and help from the Deputy and many others.
It is a priority for the Minister and Government to ensure that children who need mental health services can access them and access them on time. We recognise the impact that vacancies can have on service del…
As the Deputy outlined, recruitment is challenging. We hope a solution can be found for Tom and his mother and for many children in that situation. The Government remains committed to strengthening CAMHS through sustained investment and improved workforce planning and targeted recruitment so that vacancies are reduced and children and young people can access the care they need as quickly as possible. The ambition to …
I thank the Deputy for the question. The programme for Government includes a number of commitments relevant to students attending special schools. These include the development and strengthening of bridges from special schools into employment. This is a priority commitment for the Government, as seen in the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030. An interdepartmental steering group co-chaired by…
The Deputy wants the best possible outcome. That is what we all want. In relation to the WALK peer model specifically, the Deputy wants more funding. I will bring her views back to the Minister.
The provision of transition supports for students in school is a key priority for the Government and the Department. As I outlined, there is a commitment, as the Deputy said, under the National Human Rights Strategy for Disa…
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity to update Members on this important measure, which was signed into law during the summer recess following the approval of the Houses of the Oireachtas at the end of last term. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne. The Deputy has asked some very technical question…
As with all new legislation, time must be given to allow for the operational implementation of the new measures across the 31 planning authorities. Where any individual has concerns about the use of any exemption, they can engage with the relevant planning authority prior to submitting their notification to use a class 3A exemption. It is a matter for the planning authority to investigate any concerns raised on a cas…
I welcome the opportunity to deliver a closing statement on this Bill on behalf of the Government. I thank colleagues from all sides of the House for their contributions to today’s discussion. Let me begin by reiterating our shared commitment to unity on this island. For the record, I come from a very strong Fenian and republican tradition. My grandfather on my father’s side, Felix Feehan from Cullyhanna, County Arma…
The Office of Government Procurement, a division of my Department, acts as a central purchasing body, aggregating the State's purchasing power and establishing framework agreements for a range of commodities, including ICT goods and services. The establishment of a national-level framework is a significant undertaking. OGP framework agreements are established based on public sector bodies' needs and market capabiliti…
We are reviewing the operation of the existing framework and obtaining relevant input from subject matter experts across the public service to improve the scope, specification and features. We are obtaining relevant market-specific commercial advice from IT market analysts and industry experts, and also obtaining legal advice from the CSSO. As part of the OGP’s governance process, we are conducting a review of the re…
The current framework expires in September 2027. Until then, public service bodies can continue to procure renewals of their Microsoft licences in line with the rules governing the existing framework agreement. The OGP's objective is to ensure that it can aggregate the State's expenditure, delivering value for money in all the expenditure categories that it manages. The OGP also remains committed to ensuring that pub…
The forthcoming national public procurement strategy will set the strategic direction for public procurement in Ireland for the next five years. The strategy will for the first time establish a shared vision, values and objectives for the public procurement system, providing a common framework for the procurement of goods, services and works across the public sector. Given the scale and ambition of the strategy, it w…
I share the Deputy's view. The strategy has not been delayed. As I stated previously, this will be Ireland's first overarching strategy for public procurement. It will set the direction of travel to 2030 to support delivering the Government's commitments. Given the scale and ambition of the strategy, it is important that it is informed by extensive stakeholder engagement, a robust evidence base and careful considerat…
I am very mindful of how time-poor small businesses are. We want to put them at the centre of the strategy from its inception. The idea for the strategy derived from a programme for Government commitment to review the public procurement process and make it much more transparent.
We are trying to support SMEs in identifying and pursuing public procurement opportunities.
In most businesses - and I was part of a busin…
My Department has responsibility for public procurement policy development, guidance, systems and advisory services, as well as the establishment of central buying solutions that serve the needs of public service bodies, PSBs. My Department provides a wide range of supports to assist public service bodies in the procurement of information and communications technology systems and services, both through practical proc…
My Department provides broad governance, oversight and strategic supports for digital and ICT initiatives. The arrangements for the oversight of digital and ICT-related initiatives in the civil and public service require PSBs to obtain approval from my Department before commencing new digital or ICT initiatives, publishing procurement documentation or entering into commitments involving expenditure. These arrangement…
I take the Deputy’s valid concerns on board. While my Department provides extensive guidance, oversight and procurement supports, individual PSBs ultimately retain responsibility for determining the suitability of their requirements, governance arrangements, project delivery approaches and the successful implementation of ICT projects under their remit. There is support for the Public Appointments Service and for dig…
No.
I thank the Deputy for raising this important topic, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy O’Brien. I would like to clarify that the Minister has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport, but neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services.
I am familiar with Loughshinny, Donabate, Rush and P…
The National Transport Authority, NTA, has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public transport services nationally, working with the public transport operators that deliver the services and have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters. In this regard, while it is the NTA's priority to provide scheduled public transport services on the Transport for Ireland, TFI, network, it works with ev…
I assure the Deputy that the NTA meets all public transport operators on a regular basis and advises event promoters about what, if any, additional public transport services are available for particular events. Some events are organised without any input or involvement from the NTA. As a result, the authority may not be aware of them until a very late stage. The NTA suggested that there may be a need for more scrutin…
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Department owns, operates and maintains six designated State-owned fishery harbour centres, located at Castletownbere, Dingle, Dunmore East, Howth, Killybegs and Ros An Mhíl, under statute. It also has responsibility for Cape Clear, Cleggan and some piers, lights and beacons. Fishery harbour centres are established under the Fishery Harbour Centres Act 1968 as centres in…