I move:
That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport pursuant to Standing Orders 103(2)(b) and 188(1).
TDs / Marian Harkin
Marian Harkin
Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
44
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
57,145
words spoken in the chamber
56,760 as a minister, 385 as a TD
396
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
27
topics asked about
Across 12 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 44 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 171 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 1 |
| January 2025 | 2 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 4 | 0 |
| March 2025 | 7 | 4 |
| April 2025 | 6 | 0 |
| May 2025 | 0 | 26 |
| June 2025 | 0 | 4 |
| July 2025 | 0 | 20 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| October 2025 | 0 | 23 |
| November 2025 | 0 | 12 |
| December 2025 | 0 | 12 |
| January 2026 | 0 | 9 |
| February 2026 | 3 | 0 |
| March 2026 | 8 | 13 |
| April 2026 | 5 | 8 |
| May 2026 | 4 | 16 |
| June 2026 | 2 | 2 |
| July 2026 | 1 | 15 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 2 | 5 |
| October 2026 | 0 | 1 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 135 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 Sligo-Leitrim 29 November 2024 to now
- party Independent 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science 25 February 2025 to now
I will conclude by again acknowledging the seriousness of the issues raised in this motion and the genuine concerns that motivate it. I have not heard all of the contributions but those that I have heard have been considered and informed. A number of issues were raised and I promise that those I have heard will be brought to the attention of the Minister. I cannot be sure of responses but I can guarantee that I will …
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue because it gives me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, to outline to the Dáil the position regarding Gaelscoil Chluain Dolcáin in County Dublin.
Gaelscoil Chluain Dolcáin is under the patronage of the Archbishop of Dublin. It is located in the Clondalkin-D22 school planning area and has an enrolment of 445 pupils. The Department of Education …
Once again, I thank the Deputy for providing me with the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for education, to outline the position in relation to Gaelscoil Chluain Dolcáin. The Deputy asked me to refer this to the Minister on his behalf. I can promise that I will certainly do so because I can see that it is an issue of real concern, for the Deputy and, I presume, many of his constituents. I will do that.
The Dep…
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which I am answering on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton. Just like the previous Deputy, I hear the passion in his voice and local knowledge, as well as his understanding of what is at issue for the many families and children there. I guarantee that I will bring it to the attention of the Minister.
Aside from that, the Government is committed…
I thank the Deputy again for raising the question and giving me the opportunity to reassure the House that the Department of Education and Youth and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that all children can access an education suitable to their needs. The Department continues to engage intensively with the NCSE in regard to the forward planning for new special provision to ensure every child has a place in an educatio…
I thank the Deputy for the question. It is clear that he has been in the position I am in now, and he understands the circumstances. I must give him the response that I have been provided with. In whatever way I can, I will try to address the Deputy’s questions. They give me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister, to outline the current position in relation to the joint school project for St. John Bosco Junior Bo…
I thank the Deputy. I recognise there are schools with important building projects that are not included in the first tranche of prioritised projects. As part of planning ahead for the next tranche of projects to progress to tender, the Department-led prioritisation process will continue over the course of 2026 and 2027 to assess and evaluate the progression of individual projects through the design pipeline, having …
I am happy to take this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to address the issue in the House this evening.
Improving public transport services and infrastructure is central to improving citizens' quality of life and addressing our climate action challenge. The Government is committed to a fundamental change in the nature of transport in Ireland. There is a s…
As I noted in my reply, the NTA is progressing park-and-ride sites at Sallins and Kill, which together will provide more than 1,500 additional car parking spaces, as part of its co-ordinated programme of park-and-ride development at strategic locations. In addition to this work, collaborative work is ongoing with Iarnród Éireann to deliver increased parking at existing rail stations nationally. That includes the rece…
I thank the Deputy. His question relates to expanding apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities. As he is aware, work-integrated learning, where learners apply their studies in real-world settings, is a cornerstone of Ireland’s tertiary education system and this includes apprenticeships and traineeships. Apprenticeships provide structured routes into employment for roles requiring hands-on learning and guaranteed …
I absolutely agree with the Deputy regarding the great work being done at Mount Lucas. I think I have been there three times at this stage, looking at its work on modern methods of construction, MMC, its flagship development. Of course, it also has what is called the Skillnet MMC Accelerate platform. That showcases the different career pathways that are available to participate in MMC. It is one thing to have it and …
This is again a very important question. I agree with what the Deputy is saying. Perhaps up to now, though it is changing, apprenticeships and sometimes traineeships were seen as a second or third option. They absolutely must be a first option for those for whom they are suitable. We are starting in the schools. There are a number of programmes in transition year. We have the initial vocational education and training…
I think the Minister will be back in a few minutes, but I will respond to this question. The reply states the student grant scheme is a universal scheme and the rules including the means-testing of reckonable income are applied on an equal basis to all students who make an application. In general, for student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances, either as students dependent on th…
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The proposal before us, as he said, is not just another bricks-and-mortar project. It is a strategic investment to deliver an integrated further education and training college for Kilkenny which addresses historical infrastructure deficits and drives the reform we have committed to across the FET sector. As the Deputy told us, a suitable site has been acquired at Joinersfol…
I am grateful to Deputy Cleere for providing me with the opportunity to set out the position for this project in Kilkenny. The Department and I are prepared to continue to work collaboratively with Kilkenny and Carlow ETB via SOLAS to advance this ambition. Capital investment is a key priority for the Department, and I recognise fully the importance of developing, enhancing and supporting the FET sector to allow it t…
I will begin by thanking all Members for their contributions on the motion, the purpose of which is to seek the approval of Dáil Éireann for Ireland to participate in enhanced co-operation on the establishment of a loan for Ukraine. I have heard Members' comments and reactions. I hope to respond to some of the key points that they raised.
We must not lose sight of why we are doing this. Ukraine has experienced almos…
I sincerely thank Deputy Burke for raising this important matter concerning the Cork dental hospital and the availability of dental training places. As the Deputy said, he has raised this issue on a number of occasions and I have responded to him.
The Government is firmly committed to ensuring our healthcare system is supported by a steady and sustainable pipeline of highly skilled graduates. My Department, in colla…
I am sure at the committee meeting tomorrow the Deputy will have the opportunity to question the Department representatives. I am not here to defend its figures but I can quote them and I can say that we have increased by 33% the number of students commencing dentistry studies in 2025. That is factually correct. The Department of Health also tells me that we have had a steady increase in the number of registered dent…
I thank Deputy Wall. I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth.
First, the Minister is committed to the provision of additional special places for children with special educational needs. Budget 2026 has secured funding for 3,000 new specialist places and the NCSE is currently examining where these places are best located for the 2026-27 school year.
Over 2,700 new places have alre…
The Deputy did not just raise an important question, he did it so passionately as an advocate for the school he spoke of. I can fully understand his passion in this regard. All I can do is thank him for raising the matter and for giving me the opportunity to reassure the House that the Department of Education and Youth and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that all children can access an education that meets their n…
While I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister for education, I hear very clearly what the Deputy is saying. As somebody who has championed carers' rights for many years, both at European Parliament level and at home, I fully hear the argument he is making. However, I have a response I will read to him and I will perhaps make one or two further comments.
As the Deputy said, the carer’s leave scheme is reg…
I have a further response here reiterating all of what I said. To be honest with the Deputy, I know he does not want to hear it. Nonetheless, that is my role and responsibility this evening. The Deputy talked about bureaucracy, but it is also the law. He is an expert in this area where I am not, but perhaps the law is what needs changing and not so much the bureaucracy or how the law is implemented. As I said, the em…
I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister for Health. The Minister once again acknowledges the extraordinary role our healthcare workers played during the pandemic, as do I. They went far beyond the call of duty working on the front line, treating Covid-positive patients, and doing so in the early days when the protections we now take for granted were no…
I hope the Deputy will understand that I will not comment on his remark regarding former Members of this House who are unable to explain their rationale or whatever. However, as he asked, I will bring this to the attention of the Minister for Health, as it has been. I just happen to be answering tonight on her behalf.
I again acknowledge the extraordinary service of our healthcare workers during the pandemic. The sp…