We are getting the same argument again that it is discriminatory to require language proficiency for the Irish language broadcaster, which is absolutely ridiculous. It erases the many people across Ireland who are from overseas, who have learned the language and who are now fluent. They are able to provide a learners' perspective, if that is what is wanted here. That is what we are talking about. TG4 has a mandate to…
TDs / Sinéad Gibney
Sinéad Gibney
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
858
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
179,395
words spoken in the chamber
Across 528 contributions
409
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
184
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 858 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 528 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 74 | 22 |
| March 2025 | 18 | 18 |
| April 2025 | 100 | 20 |
| May 2025 | 20 | 24 |
| June 2025 | 45 | 34 |
| July 2025 | 212 | 35 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 27 | 19 |
| October 2025 | 43 | 27 |
| November 2025 | 48 | 37 |
| December 2025 | 11 | 9 |
| January 2026 | 45 | 28 |
| February 2026 | 19 | 48 |
| March 2026 | 19 | 16 |
| April 2026 | 52 | 18 |
| May 2026 | 13 | 25 |
| June 2026 | 19 | 35 |
| July 2026 | 34 | 39 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 18 | 23 |
| October 2026 | 41 | 51 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 279 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 Dublin Rathdown 29 November 2024 to now
- party Social Democrats 29 November 2024 to now
They can continue to watch TG4.
That is not what the audience council is. It does not need to be representative-----
It has been appropriate until now.
It fundamentally changes the way it does its business.
No.
I move amendment No. 6:
In page 34, line 11, to delete “inclusion of members” and substitute “inclusion of at least 3 members in the case of the audience council of RTÉ”.
I will speak to amendments Nos. 10 to 12, inclusive, which are grouped alongside this amendment. We have taken a slightly different approach. We recognise that promises have been made to the independent sector, the commercial sector, regarding the 25% level of funding but we would like to see Coimisiún na Meán having the discretion to go above or below that. We have introduced that in amendment No. 10. It would allow…
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Deputy O'Donovan, said he was not afraid to "step on toes" to get the job done but it seems more like he enjoys stepping on rakes because he cannot quite seem to get his story straight on why funding for RTÉ is being summarily cut. On the one hand, he says that RTÉ is being punished because of the slow pace of reform within …
The Minister talked around the issue, talked down the clock and did not answer any of my questions. We still do not know what the truth is. Is the Government going to demand compulsory redundancies from RTÉ? That seems to be the obvious direction of travel. Where did the €21 million from the Minister for public expenditure go, if not to RTÉ? Is there a coherent Government line on this or is the Minister for enterpris…
Answer the question
Why now? Why did the Minister not tell him before?
Where did the €21 million go?
The Minister did not say where the €21 million went.
Year on year, budget after budget, in my day-to-day speaking to people in my constituency, what I see coming through in people's lives, in their frustrations and in their fear is that their lives are unstable, uncertain and insecure. They do not know what will happen to their one-off payment next year. They do not know what will happen to their job, their small family business, their crèche place, or their disabled c…
Hear, hear.
4. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the engagement she has had with her British counterpart, the British ambassador, and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Bryant, over the events of the past few days surrounding the Garvaghy Road in Portadown. [69715/26]
We are all familiar with the scars left on people across this island from the Troubles. We know the hard work done by the people of Garvaghy Road in Portadown to build peace, reconciliation and understanding in their own community. The developments of the last two weeks threaten to derail that peace.
What engagement has the Minister had, alongside her Government colleagues, in the past few days with her British coun…
I thank the Minister for outlining her position. I was on the Garvaghy Road on Sunday. I also met the residents last week. I was living and studying in the North during the last eruption of violence on the Garvaghy Road in the late nineties. The residents' message is clear and they are a genuinely dignified and clear group of people. We need to be careful about some of the messaging around the two sides in this debat…
I agree the Government has made its position on the decision of the Parades Commission clear, although that was quite a number of days ago. I am not clear on what is happening from the Government in terms of the diplomatic efforts the Minister referenced. It would be helpful for us to know more about what exactly the Minister is urging people to do. I appreciate the jurisdictional issues, in that the Government does …
12. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade her Department’s priorities in negotiating the multi-annual financial framework. [69077/26]
Much of the daily lives of our citizens, from farmers to researchers, small businesses and community organisations, is shaped by what is in the EU budget. We have seen calls across Europe, including from the likes of Chancellor Merz, for a slashing of social cohesion funding and a focus on a wartime economy. What are the Department's priorities for this multi-annual financial framework, MFF, and how is the Government…
Voices in that letter did call for a cut in funding. That is just the reality of the reporting.
The letter states, "The funding should be focused on common investment in security and defence, competitiveness, innovation and the fight against irregular migration". While I appreciate the Minister of State's description of the process he is engaged in, I would like to understand how he is representing the interests of Irish people.
I am extremely concerned with the development of the next MFF based on the directi…
When I look to small Irish businesses, to our domestic productivity and to our communities on the ground, I do not see the benefits of the competitiveness agenda. No matter what the Minister of State says, his Government absolutely supports and champions that competitiveness agenda. I see redundancies from multinational tech companies and indigenous businesses struggling to survive. I also see a Government working in…