You sold your soul.
TDs / Thomas Gould
Thomas Gould
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
1,097
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
103,260
words spoken in the chamber
Across 660 contributions
356
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
211
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 1,097 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 660 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 26 | 5 |
| February 2025 | 50 | 16 |
| March 2025 | 43 | 29 |
| April 2025 | 42 | 29 |
| May 2025 | 37 | 54 |
| June 2025 | 33 | 46 |
| July 2025 | 126 | 54 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 31 | 16 |
| October 2025 | 36 | 46 |
| November 2025 | 74 | 81 |
| December 2025 | 85 | 29 |
| January 2026 | 55 | 20 |
| February 2026 | 66 | 52 |
| March 2026 | 43 | 25 |
| April 2026 | 76 | 19 |
| May 2026 | 80 | 30 |
| June 2026 | 46 | 14 |
| July 2026 | 101 | 35 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 21 | 22 |
| October 2026 | 26 | 38 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 403 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 Cork North-Central 29 November 2024 to now
- party Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
Bord Bia's mission statement states "We champion responsible food production" and that it promises to show Irish food in a way that is "inspirational, empowering, and exciting." Those are beautiful words. At the same time, the man at the top is bringing beef in from Brazil and the Government thinks that is all right. The Government tried to sell Irish farmers down the river with the Mercosur deal. Two Sinn Féin MEPs …
I am sorry; I meant Bord Bia.
I have to say this, Deputy Healy-Rae.
No, let me just finish.
Does the Minister think it is right-----
-----that the head of Bord Bia can bring in Brazilian beef? It is a straight question for the Minister.
Is it right that the head of Bord Bia can bring in Brazilian beef and keep his job? Does the Minister think that is right? It is a straight question.
Regeneration is not just a word. It is a lifeline for communities that have been neglected for years. In Cork, we have the north-west quarter regeneration. I attended the first meeting in September 2000, 26 years ago. Twenty-six years later, only 99 homes have been built and delivered. Less than €100 million has been spent, which is less than €4 million a year. At the same time, regeneration in Limerick got €513 mill…
The Minister of State mentioned the seed funding. The seed funding was actually a very good idea, although I will come in here and criticise, argue and disagree with the Government. However, there was a decision to cut it back last year. While €1 million was needed for community projects, only €450,000 was allocated, which was less than half. I think it was actually €1.2 million that was needed but let us just call i…
The new buzzword of this Government is "infrastructure". It blames local authorities, Uisce Éireann, the NTA and An Coimisiún Pleanála for things. The Government blames everyone. I do not know if the Minister of State gets it. Does he think we are all fools over here? We are not fools; we know what is happening. Those opposite are in government. Fine Gael has been in office 15 years and Fianna Fáil for 11. All of the…
139. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to collect the outstanding €26 million in derelict sites levies prior to the introduction of the derelict sites charge. [5325/26]
Will the Minister provide the House with an update on his plans to collect the outstanding €26 million in derelict site levies before the derelict sites charge comes in? I believe he is providing an amnesty to speculators and land hoarders while buildings are rotting in every town, city and village in the State.
That is unbelievable because the Minister told me he would not be collecting the derelict sites levy. I have come in here and asked him a straight question on whether he will ensure its collection. We now know local authorities have not been collecting it. Number one, they do not have the staff and resources.
They do not. I have spoken to them. Their officials were in front of the housing committee even before Deputy Browne was the Minister and told us they do not have the staff or resources. What the Minister is saying here now is different. Some €26 million is owed. The amount went up by €6 million in 2025 and it will go up by at least the same amount again in 2026. That means €32 million regarding houses in addition to…
Last night I introduced a Bill to this Chamber that would have made it the responsibility of local authorities to ensure that a report would be compiled and that the Minister would answer it to ensure derelict sites levies would be collected. The Government voted it down. It was a solution, supported by the Opposition, that the Minister blocked, so he should not come in here and blame the local authorities. He is the…
In two years’ time.
No, but it is the Minister’s job to make sure they do their job.
It is the Minister’s job to make sure they do their job.
I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this motion. A lot of the time, we come in here and talk about issues that might be abstract or wonder if they really make a difference to people's lives. This actually makes a difference to the lives of workers, families, communities and employers. This provides a solution and a pathway to making a real difference.
In Cork at the moment - the Minister of State will know…
Can the Minister imagine if the water he and his family were drinking was poisonous or if the water was poisonous for their families and children and he found out this had been going on for three years? This is the situation on the north side of Cork city. It is actually unbelievable that the manganese levels are so dangerous. This is not me saying this; it is Uisce Éireann-Irish Water itself, based on testing it has…
There might be a small bit more time because of the absent Members. I will just mention that Gabriel Scally was instrumental in exposing CervicalCheck. They are exposing Irish Water and what it is doing to the people of Cork. These court cases will be coming up in the new year and people will have to answer the question of how this has been allowed to happen.
11. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Taoiseach when the Cork city task force will be established. [3471/26]
The Tánaiste said in 2024 that within 100 days of Government formation, Cork city would have a task force. It is 362 days later and there is still no sign of the task force, but what we have are broken promises and all the talk out of the Tánaiste. This Government made promises to the people of Cork, but does the Taoiseach know what it is like? It is like the promises made about the events centre, which still has not…
The Bill is a step forward but it is a really small step forward. What we needed was a giant leap to really take this by the scruff of the neck. Five years ago, loads of promises were made and we were expecting to make further progress in relation to regulation and the provision of care. What we are seeing now is more privatisation when we need more community-based services. We need more resources and people. The rea…