We were told in Cork the fair increases were to pay for the 90-minute fares that were to come in. This is nonsense. It was done when the schools and the colleges were on holidays. It was snuck in over the summer with the thought that people would not spot it, but I spotted it. People who get the bus contacted me because they spotted it and could feel the difference. We are now being told more hardware will be needed …
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
It is unbelievable that we have to come in here every year to talk about the issues with services for children with additional needs and children awaiting an assessment of need. The average waiting time in Cork at the moment is 27 months, notwithstanding the legal requirement that all children should receive their assessments of need within six months. I spoke to a woman yesterday who had received a letter stating th…
I was speaking to a taxi driver today in Cork. He said that it recently cost him €74 to fill his taxi. This morning, it cost him €110. He asked me how they can survive. They cannot keep putting up the prices of taxis because it will price them out of the market but what will they do if they do not get help from this Government? Our Bill is here. We are trying to be constructive and help ordinary, hard-working people …
The budget is the budget. That is no good if you do not have the money in your budget to put food on the table, pay the gas bill or pay the electricity bill. The Government has its budget but what about ordinary working families? What about their budget? What do they do next?
People are looking for hope. That man down in Little Island said to me that he would be better off on the dole. He is working seven days a wee…
64. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the amount spent on litigating judicial reviews in Cork for failure to complete AON in the necessary timeframe since 2020. [65644/26]
Will the Minister make a statement on the amount of money spent on litigating judicial reviews in Cork for failure to complete assessments of need in the necessary time since 2020?
I want to confirm something. Did the Minister of State say the amount spent in Cork was €4,980? I find that figure unbelievable. I ask her not only to check that figure but also to include the amount that is paid by this State for families to bring these cases. I will tell the Minister why I find the figure unbelievable. Last year, nationally, the State spent €10.5 million defending approximately 1,000 cases of asses…
The Minister of State says the HSE is not contesting these cases, but 1,000 families had to bring cases against the State last year, and the State spent €10.5 million then. What was it spending the money on? Why was that €10.5 million not put into assessments of need? To give the Minister of State figures from Cork, there are supposed to be 14.5 assessment of need posts in Cork; there are only eight. In August, 2,000…
I raise an issue related to journalism, in particular local journalists in my area, in The Echo and Cork Independent, who I have worked with over the years. They deliver local, relevant and topical issues and news in Cork city. I have worked with them on confidential sources and people who come forward at the risk of their livelihoods because they believe the public has a right to know. I hope this Bill will not dama…
There is some irony in the debate tonight. This week President Donald Trump visited Ireland. Uachtarán na hÉireann, Catherine Connolly, made it clear the Irish people reject the normalisation of war and genocide. Our President is brave. She is a believer in peace and she stands up for what is right. A short while later, our Taoiseach met with President Trump and never used the word "genocide" for what is happening in…
Not yet.
Are the doctors in Germany, England and France all different then?
Are the all doctors-----
I welcome the debate today. Ireland has a proud history and tradition of myths and legends, from Cú Chulainn to Tír na nÓg to the Children of Lír, which have passed down through the generations. However, the latest myth and legend some people are telling is far more damaging. There are people who claim that we cannot afford Irish unity. They are using false data and made-up numbers to try to stop the unity of our Thi…
The bus service in Cork has been in crisis for a number of years. Buses do not turn up. Buses are late. There are ghost buses. There are buses that have "out of service" displayed on them as they drive past dozens of people waiting at bus stops for them. There is an app that does not work. People are looking at the app which says there is a bus due shortly and after a while the bus disappears from the app.
It is unb…
The Minister of State referred to the new 90-minute fares and the fact that people can tap on and tap off. I want to let her know that the fare is €1.90 but next week, it will be €2.40. That is a 26% increase in the fare. How can that be justified? The people of Cork are being forced to pay 26% extra for a service they cannot even depend on, a service that might not turn up or might be delayed. People are depending o…
AI poses a threat to Irish art and Irish artists. They must be protected. I am really lucky to come from County Cork, which I am very proud of, which has produced some amazing poets, singers and actors, including Miles Gaffney and John Spillane, who are friends of mine.
They are unbelievable musicians and singers. There are actors like Siobhán McSweeney, Fiona Shaw and Jennifer O'Donovan, whom I saw recently. There …
That was not the question.
I have campaigned for years for extra dementia unit beds and nursing home beds on the northside of Cork, especially in Heather House. Some 19 dementia beds have been built in Heather House. They were announced in 2022 and built and finished last November. I have campaigned to get them open. I was told in May that they would be open in June. They were supposed to be open in June but were not. I have been told by membe…
In 2008, the then Minister Phil Hogan announced a local government fund allocation in budget 2009 of €1.6 billion. In budget 2026, €670 million was allocated to the same fund. That is almost €1 billion less. Has the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, considered asking the European Union how member states fund local authorities and how European local authorities have more democracy and autonomy and are not in constan…
An issue that has rightly got a lot of coverage over the last few months is the disease called Friedreich's ataxia. There is a drug out there called Skyclarys. Citizens of a number of European countries are able to access that medicine. We have come here and families have come here and spoken about it. I appeal to the Minister of State. I know a meeting is to take place this month. I have been dealing with Craig Coad…
Sorry. Can the Minister of State also look at if it is passed in Europe, that it is in each individual country then? It is the bureaucracy, red tape and time. It is not about this specific drug. I ask the Minister of State to look at it from a European point of view-----
Like other speakers, I think the Minister is making a major mistake. I was just talking to my party colleague Deputy Ó Broin. A lady contacted me today. She has been in recovery for eight months and is four months pregnant. She is homeless and on the streets. Tonight she is in the maternity hospital at Cork University Hospital, CUH, because there was nowhere else for her to go. If she goes into emergency accommodatio…
There is no need for that comment.
Yes, there was no need for that.