Budget 2027 represents a major investment and opportunity in skills development and inclusion, which are in my area of responsibility of the Department. For example, the budget provides the first year of a new €150 million National Training Fund commitment over three years to strengthen Ireland's preparedness for AI and technological change. This will provide significant investment in skills and lifelong learning, wh…
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 welcome the opportunity to respond to some of the issues raised in the debate on the Bill put forward by Sinn Féin regarding the taxation of home heating oil. As this House understands, Ireland, as a small, open, successful economy with a reliance on fossil fuels, is especially vulnerable to global energy price shocks. No government anywhere in the world can fully insulate its people from price shocks of the magnit…
I thank the Deputy. I hear his real concern for his constituent's child and the difficult circumstances in which they find themselves. I have a response here, some of which deals with the issue he raised and some of which is a more general response on what the Government is doing. If he will bear with me, I will give him both.
The Government is committed to the provision of additional special places for children wit…
I thank Deputy Hearne. Again, I do hear what he is saying and I will bring his very strong concerns to the Minister of State. I will see that they are on his desk by tomorrow and we will see where we go from there.
Deputy Hearne mentioned Finglas Parochial National School. To be fair, given that planning permission was granted on 26 March 2026, the fact that the Department and the project manager have been doing eve…
The microgeneration support scheme, MSS, provides supports to both domestic and non-domestic applicants, in the form of grants for solar PV installations, up to a maximum of €1,800 in 2026 for household installations. The domestic MSS forms part of a wider residential retrofit programme that, in line with eligibility criteria, supports energy-efficiency upgrades and the installation of renewable energy technologies i…
As I set out, the electricity and gas retail markets in Ireland operate within a European Union regulatory regime, wherein electricity and gas markets are commercial, liberalised and competitive. Responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets, including with regard to the clean export guarantee, is solely a matter for the CRU.
In relation to the development of tariffs under the CEG arrangements…
On behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy O’Brien, I thank the Deputies for the opportunity to address this issue in the House today. As a number of Deputies have alluded to, the programme for Government commits to commissioning an independent feasibility study, continuing MetroLink from the city to south-west Dublin. The Government is committed to undertaking an independent feasibility study for a metro to sou…
I will continue afterwards.
The Deputy does not have to tell me that.
As somebody who comes from the west - I did not write this script - I can assure the Deputy that I know what he is talking about when he says that the system was better 100 years ago than it is now. My purpose here today is not to labour that point, it is to answer his questions. Again, on behalf of the Minister for Transport, I thank the Deputies for their comments and for their interest in this important issue. As …
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, to outline to the Dáil the current position in relation to the joint school project for St. John Bosco Junior Boys School, St. John Bosco Senior Boys School and Mary, Help of Christians Girls' National School in Dublin 7.
This joint school building project will deliver two new 16-classroom pri…
I agree with the Deputy that this is not refurbishment. In my initial response, I made it clear that this joint school building project will deliver two new 16-classroom primary schools with additional classrooms for children with special educational needs for both the senior boys’ school and the girls’ school and an 11-classroom primary school with additional classrooms for children with special educational needs fo…
It is not often I am asked in this House to behave like the man above. I am not sure what I can deliver from purgatory. Nonetheless, I heard what Deputy Byrne said about the conditions, which he told us are unique and among the worst in the country. He also spoke of the commitment of the staff. While I am not personally familiar with the school, I know that schools where conditions are not good or are very poor often…
I will relay the Deputy's request that the Minister consider meeting him with the WWETB and the school principal. I am not sure what requests have been received, and I cannot speak on the Minister's behalf, but I will certainly relay that request.
The Department is committed to ensuring appropriate accommodation is available for all school pupils and will, in the wider context outlined, ensure each school project on…
I thank Deputy Smith for raising this matter and for highlighting the significant population growth taking place in Swords. I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I am interested to hear the Deputy say it is the third largest town in Ireland. In that context, I understand why he has raised these issues.
The Government fully recognises that the successful delivery of new…
The Government agrees that the delivery of housing and the delivery of infrastructure have to go hand in hand and creating sustainable communities requires investment, not only in homes, but as the Deputy said, in the transport, energy, water and community infrastructure that supports them. As he also noted, significant investment is already under way in Swords, whether it is the R132 connectivity project, the Balhea…
I thank the Deputy, and on behalf of the Minister for Transport, I want to thank him for raising this issue.
He is quite right. A lot of people are speaking about this. We have always been aware, but we have become more acutely aware in recent times, of the serious brain injuries sustained in many cases by children who use e-scooters and the inherent dangers in how e-scooters are being used.
From the Government's p…
I thank the Deputy. In response to his question about the urgency of this, the Department of Transport is examining the issue of mandating the wearing of helmets, high-vis clothing and protective equipment for e-scooters and e-bikes, along with other road safety focused measures. Proposals in this regard are under consideration by Ministers. The Department is also considering the matter of registration for e-scooters…
I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. At the outset, it is important to note that Carlow College, St. Patrick's is and always has been an independent private institution operating outside the State-funded higher education sector. Decisions regarding its strategic direction and governance rest entirely with its own governing body and neither the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, nor I have a role in …
If Deputy Gibney is fair at all, she will accept that a great deal of engagement has already taken place between the Minister, Deputy Lawless, the different institutions, the trade unions and the workers. The Deputy spoke about students there. Every current learner at Carlow College will be able to complete their studies and graduate as planned without disruption or disadvantage. Those are the facts.
I am stating that here in the House tonight on the record. I want it to be true and it needs to be true. I think both of us agree that should be the situation. Commitment, continuity and fairness have guided every step of this process. We have every confidence that formal discussions commenced by Carlow College with their staff and staff representatives will be carried out in a transparent and forthright manner.
It …
I thank the Deputy. As she will be aware, Carlow College is and has always been, a private and autonomous institution operating outside the publicly funded higher education system. Despite this, it has received substantial State support, including over €3.1 million in student fee grants, with an annual uplift of €750,000 in place since 2022. Following repeated requests for additional assistance, an independent review…
I thank the Deputy.
I believe the framework agreed by the two institutions is a prudent and measured approach that protects the educational attainment and interests of students in the region. Every current learner in Carlow College will be able to complete their studies and graduate as planned without disruption or disadvantage. That commitment of continuity and fairness has guided every step of the process. At the …
Do not forget Roscommon in the Connacht final.
It is a high priority for me and my Department to support the development of high-quality and accessible tertiary education systems that reflect the full diversity of Irish society and ensure that all learners can access and successfully complete their education. Since the establishment of the first technological university in 2019, the Department has prioritised targeted investment of over €300 million in technologi…