4. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the proposed process and timeline for the two new prisons in the Glen, Cork city. [70856/26]
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
Will the Minister update the Dáil on the processed process and timelines for the development of two new prisons at the Glen, Cork city, on the site of the former Cork detention centre?
I am glad the Minister has mentioned that issue. Cork City Council unanimously voted to have the old Cork Prison, which was known as the detention centre, declared a protected structure. I will give the Minister some of the feedback. Thomas Kent, the only 1916 leader to be executed outside of Dublin, was executed in that barracks. This is hallowed ground for republicans. After being arrested, Terence MacSwiney, the L…
Will the Minister respect it?
That makes no sense. How can we demolish a building and say that that is not incompatible? The Minister is talking about levelling the old Cork Prison. Imagine if someone came in here and said we would level Kilmainham Gaol. There would be uproar. Former Deputies Frank Aiken and Dr. Séamus Fitzgerald set out to identify Thomas Kent's cell and they succeeded and preserved his cell. This is hallowed ground for republic…
There are greenfield sites that the Government could start building on.
There are greenfield sites the Government could build on.
The Government has land it could build on.
The Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, has left the Chamber. Before Deputy O'Donnell leaves, I want to say he gave a list of all the money being spent, as he is Minister of State with responsibility for older people. Last night I met with families of residents of Sarsfield Court dementia unit, which is being closed down under the watch of the Minister of State. Heather House dementia unit is not open yet. We have …
Once again, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and their buddies, the Independents, have given a tax cut of €186 million. I do not know if this Government or the Independents get it. There is anger out there tonight because, once again, this Government has shafted ordinary hard-working people, families, pensioners and young people. The Government is awash with money for the rich and wealthy, but what about the ordinary people? I…
There was a time when increasing the price of tobacco was an effective public health measure. We all understood and agree with that. However, we must be honest about where we are now. This strategy now has diminishing returns in relation to people not smoking or giving up smoking. The reality is that it is just pushing the prices up and up again. As a strategy on its own, that is not enough. We need education and pre…
The National Bus and Rail Union has described the Cork to Dublin train as a hotspot of antisocial behaviour in recent years. There have been 120 complaints of antisocial behaviour on trains to and from Cork in the last 12 months. I thank The Echo newspaper in Cork and Amy Campbell for her work in highlighting this. These incidents include times where people feel unsafe, intimidated and scared. There is no way to exit…
The First Dáil declared that it was the first duty of the Government of Ireland to ensure that no child suffered from a lack of clothing, food or shelter. This Government is failing in that duty. There are currently 17,885 people homeless. That was the August figure. It is actually higher now. Some 5,830 of those are children. I asked the Minister's predecessor how many children must become homeless before Fianna Fái…
Can the Minister of State imagine a person's husband or partner being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in their late 50s, then having to search for a nursing home with an Alzheimer's-specific dementia unit when they are 65, and just when they have settled into their new home, they are being evicted? Can the Minister of State imagine that? Can he imagine a person whose mother had passed away over the summer then bei…
I want to be clear about what the Minister of State said. He said that nothing will happen until the families are satisfied and the situation has been worked through. I have met the families privately and there has been a public meeting. The families do not want their loved ones to be moved out of the unit. They fear for the health of their loved ones if they are moved. They were given a list of places in Cork and Ke…
Just two months after the State-owned ESB raised its prices for over 1 million customers, it posted profits of €636 million and gave its chief executive a 29% increase, raising his salary from €318,000 to €410,000. That is €92,000 of an increase. The Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan has published research that shows that ordinary households are paying the price for data centre connections. We have seen a surge in connection…
125. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance for an update on the collection of the vacant homes tax. [68491/26]
128. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport whether he is aware that two routes in Cork under BusConnects had to be rerouted because a bus cannot traverse Church Hill despite numerous public consultations and millions spent to date. [66853/26]
Is the Minister of State aware that two services relating to BusConnects had to be rerouted because buses cannot traverse Church Hill in Glanmire despite numerous public consultations and millions of euro being spent on it?
Some €85 million has been spent on BusConnects in Cork since 2021. That includes €11 million this year alone. What have we got for it? People in Cork and people I represent will tell the Minister of State we have got nothing for it. Then, after all the consultation - five rounds of consultation - we were told on 27 August that the bus will not be able to serve Church Hill in Glanmire and that there would be no bus st…
I wish to update the Minister of State. This route was supposed to be in place in 2024. We are in 2026 and we are told the route is not feasible. Millions of euro have been spent. Some €85 million has been spent in five years and now we are finding out things cannot be done. How many other routes will this also affect? There are people there at the moment who are experiencing the cost-of-living crisis and are struggl…
I am for it.
I met with it. I put in submissions.
131. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport whether he has conducted any affordability tests on fare increases in Cork. [66855/26]
Just to let the Minister of State know, the fare hike came into Cork in July. What that means for adults going to work, college or hospital appointments is an extra €240 a year. On top of that now we will see the price go up for the train. If you get the train or the bus you are going to see your fares going up. Has the Minister of State conducted any tests to see if people can afford to absorb these fare hikes? Peop…