Topics / Departmental Policies

A subject heading for parliamentary questions

Departmental Policies

1,112 questions from 127 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 22 October 2026.

1,112
questions
1,096 written, 16 oral
127
TDs have asked
10
parties and groups
Independents counted together
20
departments asked

This is one of the catch-all headings the Oireachtas uses for how a department runs rather than what a question is about, so it is left out of the range and focus figures.

Questions per month

The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.

Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
MonthQuestions
January 20258
February 202535
March 202529
April 202551
May 202530
June 202557
July 202568
August 20250
September 202589
October 202524
November 202538
December 2025102
January 202628
February 202683
March 202669
April 202676
May 202689
June 202683
July 202671
August 20260
September 202645
October 202637

Who asks, by party

The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.

  • Aontú25 from 2 TDs · 2 seats today
  • Fianna Fáil305 from 30 TDs · 48 seats today
  • Fine Gael153 from 22 TDs · 38 seats today
  • Green Party28 from 1 TD · 1 seat today
  • Independent75 from 12 TDs · 15 seats today
  • Independent Ireland110 from 3 TDs · 4 seats today
  • Labour Party59 from 11 TDs · 11 seats today
  • People Before Profit-Solidarity53 from 3 TDs · 3 seats today
  • Sinn Féin209 from 32 TDs · 39 seats today

The TDs who asked most

Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.

  1. 94
  2. 69
  3. 42
  4. 30
  5. 29
  6. 28
  7. 27
  8. 21

Asked of

Debated under the same heading

Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.

The questions

Ken O'Flynn Written 10 Dec 2025 · to Health
300. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to detail the governance, approval processes and risk assessments used when referring Irish children and young people to external providers, including foreign clinics; and to confirm whether any departmental policy ever permitted or endorsed referral pathways involving private clinics in Antwerp, Belgium. [70453/25]
Cathal Crowe Written 10 Dec 2025 · to Health
310. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the main policy achievements of her Department since 22 January 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70526/25]
Cathal Crowe Written 10 Dec 2025 · to Further and Higher Education
368. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the main policy achievements of his Department since 22 January 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70525/25]
Cathal Crowe Written 10 Dec 2025 · to Rural
376. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the main policy achievements of his Department since 22 January 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70530/25]
Aisling Dempsey Written 9 Dec 2025 · to Housing
522. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 334 of 2 December 2025, whether the information sought in the question is not a matter of policy and resources for him to address; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70348/25]
Carol Nolan Written 9 Dec 2025 · to Justice
607. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the reason he announced recent significant changes to immigration policy at a press conference with the media, rather than on the floor of Dáil Éireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69341/25]
Erin McGreehan Written 9 Dec 2025 · to Justice
640. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he intends to introduce statutory safeguards governing the home delivery of alcohol, including requirements for delivery staff to refuse delivery where a person is visibly intoxicated or incapacitated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69612/25]
Erin McGreehan Written 9 Dec 2025 · to Justice
641. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the steps his Department has taken to assess the public health, addiction and safeguarding risks associated with home alcohol delivery services; if these risks are informing the development of the Sale of Alcohol Bill 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69613/25]
Erin McGreehan Written 9 Dec 2025 · to Justice
642. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will clarify whether licence holders will be legally responsible for alcohol supplied via home delivery in the same manner as alcohol served on-premises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69614/25]
Erin McGreehan Written 9 Dec 2025 · to Justice
643. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will commit to a health impact assessment on the provisions of the Sale of Alcohol Bill 2022, with particular reference to the regulation of home and online alcohol deliveries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69616/25]
Seán Ó Fearghaíl Written 9 Dec 2025 · to Justice
665. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will be prepared to seek a presidential pardon for the Catalpa Six ahead of next year’s 150th anniversary of the rescue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69759/25]
Gary Gannon Written 9 Dec 2025 · to Justice
687. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to the recommendation included in the European Commission's 2025 Rule of Law Report for Ireland (details supplied), the steps being taken to address this recommendation; the expected timeline for the completion of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69986/25]
Gary Gannon Written 9 Dec 2025 · to Justice
688. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to a recommendation (details supplied) included in the European Commission's 2025 Rule of Law Report for Ireland, the steps taken to address this recommendation; the expected timeline for the completion of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69989/25]
Matt Carthy Written 9 Dec 2025 · to Justice
704. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if his Department intends to publish a NDP sectoral plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70146/25]
Brendan Smith Written 4 Dec 2025 · to Rural
22. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht for an update on the next iteration of Our Rural Future Development Policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68342/25]
Paul Lawless Written 4 Dec 2025 · to Rural
36. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht in line with the objectives of "Our Rural Future", the specific, measurable interventions his Department will implement in County Mayo over the next 12-months to support the retention of young families and combat depopulation, specifically in the areas of facilitating the development of affordable community-owned housing.…
Matt Carthy Written 4 Dec 2025 · to Rural
46. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he will report on their implementation of a rural proofing model. [68521/25]
Matt Carthy Written 4 Dec 2025 · to Justice
106. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will establish a historical investigations unit to allow for independent police investigation into unresolved deaths and incidents of torture or ill treatment as proposed by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and the Committee on the Administration of Justice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68323/25]
Keira Keogh Written 4 Dec 2025 · to Justice
139. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the steps his Department is taking to protect minority communities from discrimination; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68172/25]
Pádraig Rice Written 4 Dec 2025 · to Justice
372. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he plans to provide for the disregard of certain historic criminal convictions arising from consensual sexual activity between men, following comments by the Tánaiste (details supplied); the timeline for same; if he will support a Private Members Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68673/25]
Ken O'Flynn Written 4 Dec 2025 · to Further and Higher Education
544. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if a performance and evaluation framework has been approved for the National Demonstration Park for Modern Methods of Construction at Mount Lucas, including baseline data, target indicators, and reporting mechanisms; and if not, to explain why construction has proceeded in the absence of defined metrics. [689…
Paul Lawless Written 2 Dec 2025 · to Enterprise
191. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment in view of recent high-profile receiverships affecting franchise networks, if his Department plans to introduce dedicated franchise legislation in Ireland, similar to that in other jurisdictions (e.g., Australia or certain US States), which would mandate a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) and establish a code of conduct to ensure fa…
Jen Cummins Written 2 Dec 2025 · to Education
248. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way the National Convention on Education will ensure that underrepresented voices; e.g. students with special educational needs, marginalized communities, rural stakeholders and so on; are included meaningfully in its deliberations. [67642/25]
Jen Cummins Written 2 Dec 2025 · to Education
249. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps which will be taken to guarantee geographical diversity within the National Convention on Education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67643/25]
Jen Cummins Written 2 Dec 2025 · to Education
250. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide a detailed working plan and timeline for the National Convention on Education. [67644/25]