Can I just ask one question of the Minister? That lady refuses to go into the emergency accommodation because she is in recovery and the accommodation presents a risk of her relapsing. This applies not just to that lady but to anyone in a similar position. They have no right to appeal and they then have to reapply to go on the housing list, which in Cork city takes five months on average. Where should they live for t…
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
I will not repeat what my colleagues have said but the fact is we are denying tenants their fundamental protections and rights under the RTB. That is wrong. Tenants who are paying their rent every week, including where there is antisocial behaviour, are entitled to their rights. We are creating a two-tier system, with renters who are covered by the RTB on the one hand and then, on the other, people living in these be…
I will be brief and will not go over points my colleagues have made. The Minister of State used the example of Vienna. I think the minute he said it, he knew he had made a mistake. As has been pointed out, the Minister of State is talking about smaller apartments but they are only a part of it because there is a need for a mix of two-bedroom, three-bedroom and four-bedroom apartments. The Minister of State is proposi…
Glass houses.
The Minister cannot stand up and tell the truth.
9. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether she has held any meetings on the Ireland-Israel match. [49388/26]
I believe these games should not go ahead. There has been a call to stop the games. The Palestinians have said that there should be a ban on all sporting engagements with Israel. There should be an outright boycott until such time as the people of Palestine are given the freedom, respect and rights they deserve.
The Minister said that Sport Ireland and the Government had no part to play. That is not accurate. In 1999, the then Government put off a match against Yugoslavia. The precedent has been set, and the Government should step in. It is very unfair of the Government to put all the blame on the FAI and let it carry the can. The FAI has previously made clear its position on playing matches with Israel, but now it has been …
I will finish the quote from Seamus Coleman when speaking to Tony O’Donoghue of RTÉ. He said: “I am a dad, I am a husband, I've got a heart, I know the difference between right and wrong.” The Minister said that the decision was with the FAI, not the Government. It is not. Deputy McEntee is the Minister. She is in the Government. It is up to the Government to make the decision and to take it away from the players and…
I did not say that.
13. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the actions she will take to improve the all-island economy and bring forward a united Ireland. [49389/26]
The Minister of State spoke about all the necessary preparations if there is to be a referendum. It is nearly 30 years since the Good Friday Agreement. Now is the time to honour and commemorate the 30th anniversary by having these conversations. While I welcome Fine Gael's announcement about a blueprint for a unified Ireland, it is not a united Ireland. I recognise, however, it is a step in the conversation. Bringing…
Our Private Members' business next week will move forward the conversation on unity. It will provide that the Taoiseach publish a Green Paper on the means of consultation with the people on the entire island. This would mean the Government setting out ideas on our vision for health, education, public service and the economy. What it would really mean would be the Government outlining the steps we would see for a unit…
I will finish on this. I know we will never get everyone to agree but if everyone feels they have been listened to and they are part of the conversation, they may think there is an opportunity to move forward. I believe the vast majority of people want a united Ireland.
People are struggling. Sometimes I ask myself whether the Government has any idea what is happening. The Minister of State is from west Cork. How do people who do not drive a car or van in west Cork get to work, school, college or hospital? People cannot depend on public transport.
The Government is behaving in a sneaky way. It will put up the price of diesel and petrol while the Government is on holidays. The Minis…
The Minister of State will have received the letter this week requesting a meeting between him and the TDs from Cork North-Central in relation to Scoil Padre Pio. We had a very important meeting on Monday with the principal, Ms Sinéad Elliffe, where she outlined that the school had been waiting and was now caught in limbo. The school’s extension was approved in 2019. The school has now gone through the whole design p…
We have a brilliant school that is dealing with some of the most vulnerable kids, both mainstream and special classes. They are being failed by this Government.
I have the printout of the schools here.
They include St. Killian’s Special School, stage 2A, Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers, stage 2A, Scoil Chroí Íosa, stage 2A, Gaelscoil an Chaisleáin, stage 1, Coláiste an Phiarsaigh, stage 2B, and Scoil Mhuire, stage 2B. Then there are Cork Educate Secondary School and Le Chéile Secondary School, Ballincollig, stage 1, and Coláiste Choilm, stage 2B. When are these to move on to the nex…
Not in Churchfield.
First, I stand in solidarity with the staff and students of UCC who have been locked out of their college and workplace because of the visit of Ursula von der Leyen. Why there was a need for this extreme when people just want to go to work and college, I do not know but it goes to the over-the-top way that Europe and this Government are treating the citizens. Once again, the elites are being prioritised over ordinary…
This Friday is the closing date for objections to the disgraceful plan to demolish the historic old Cork prison site and to build two new prisons in the middle of a residential area in The Glen and surrounding areas. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are determined to strip away our history and destroy working class communities. They are using questionable legislation - a loophole - that means objections must be sent to Long…
The people of The Glen have enough with one prison. They do not deserve to have three prisons on the northside of Cork city.
Why not a greenfield site?
The Taoiseach knows The Glen well. It is in the middle of the community.
There is a huge issue with scramblers in my constituency. Following the new laws that came in earlier this year in the aftermath of the tragic death of 16-year-old Grace Lynch, communities were hoping that this would see a reduction in the use of scramblers. However, I have had to phone the Garda numerous times in the intervening period. On Monday night last, I had to phone the Garda three times because of scramblers…