Kildare South — week of Mon, 7 Apr — Watch Them Work

What your Kildare South TDs did this week

Mon, 7 Apr – 13 Apr 2025 · 5 TDs · 4 bills voted on · 45 questions · 0 new lobbying filings

Votes this week

Údarás na Gaeltachta (Amendment) Bill 2024: Céim an Choiste (Atógáil)

2025-04-09 · 1 vote

An amendment to the bill · motion failed 65–83

Voted for 2 Mark Wall · Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh

Voted against 1 Seán Ó Fearghaíl

Did not vote 2 Fiona O'Loughlin · Martin Heydon

Water Services (Repeal of Water Charges) Bill 2025

2025-04-09 · 1 vote

The motion · motion failed 64–83

Voted for 2 Mark Wall · Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh

Voted against 1 Seán Ó Fearghaíl

Did not vote 2 Fiona O'Loughlin · Martin Heydon

Protecting the Irish Economy Against Increasing Trade Tariffs

2025-04-09 · 2 votes

An amendment to the bill · motion passed 83–65

Voted for 1 Seán Ó Fearghaíl

Voted against 2 Mark Wall · Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh

Did not vote 2 Fiona O'Loughlin · Martin Heydon

The motion · motion passed 83–65

Voted for 1 Seán Ó Fearghaíl

Voted against 2 Mark Wall · Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh

Did not vote 2 Fiona O'Loughlin · Martin Heydon

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

2025-04-08 · 1 vote

The week's Dáil business schedule · motion passed 87–70

Voted for 1 Seán Ó Fearghaíl

Voted against 2 Mark Wall · Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh

Did not vote 2 Fiona O'Loughlin · Martin Heydon

Fiona O'Loughlin — Fianna Fáil 0 votes · 0 questions · 0 new lobbying returns

Quiet week — no questions filed or new lobbying returns.

Mark Wall — Labour Party 5 votes · 25 questions · 0 new lobbying returns

Questions asked 25 total

Transport 8 questions
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Transport if the National Transport Authority will provide additional public transport options from Portarlington via Monasterevin to the Kildare village retail outlet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16922/25]
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Transport if there are figures available detailing the number of penalty points issued resulting from the decrease in speed limits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17028/25]
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Transport for an update on the upgrading of the Waterford to Dublin train line to advance the proposed increased train service to Carlow and Athy train stations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17043/25]
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Transport the plans there are to inform the public of the imminent changes in rail fares under the Dublin commuting zone, to be launched at the end of April 2025; when this campaign will begin; the amount being spent on the campaign; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17369/25]
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Transport his plans to expand the Dublin commuting zone rail prices to other railway stations in Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17370/25]
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Transport the changes a rail commuter using the tax saver ticket from Kildare town and Newbridge stations will see once the new pricing under the Dublin commuting zone is introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17371/25]
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Transport if he will consider additional infrastructure in County Kildare (details supplied); whether he has been consulted on any such proposal; the most up-to-date contact, including dates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17372/25]
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Transport for an update on the provision of a town bus for Newbridge, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17373/25]
Defence 5 questions
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the number of new recruits admitted to the Defence Forces for each of the past five years, by gender; and the number admitted from each county, for each of the past five years, in tabular form [17024/25]
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the number of visitors to the museum on the Curragh Camp for each of the past five years; and the cost of operating the museum on the Curragh Camp, for each of the past five years, in tabular form. [17025/25]
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he is satisfied with the number of visitors to the Curragh Camp Museum; the signage in relation to the museum; the overall presentation of the site and museum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17026/25]
- 2025-04-10 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will consider funding a Defence Forces liaison officer to deal with the significant housing challenges that are facing serving members and liaise with housing agencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18312/25]
- 2025-04-10 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will provide an update on the refurbishment of derelict and vacant housing on the Curragh Camp; the actions his Department has taken to date to refurbish these properties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18324/25]
Education 3 questions
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Education the position regarding a school bus ticket for a person in County Kildare (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16644/25]
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Education the number of apprenticeships registered with her Department for each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17030/25]
- 2025-04-10 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Education the transport costs incurred by her Department for children additional needs who travel to either a special education class or special school settings in Kildare for the past five years, by mode of transport, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18153/25]
Environment 1 question
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of apprenticeships delegated by Electric Ireland in each of the past five years; the number of applications for apprenticeships received by Electric Ireland in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17029/25]
Finance 1 question
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Finance for an update position on primary medical certificates; if changes will be made to the scheme during the term of the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17459/25]
Justice 1 question
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Justice if there are figures available detailing the number of speeding fines issued resulting from the decrease in speed limits in each local authority area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17028/25]
Children 1 question
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on the development of a national early learning and childcare agency; the actions her Department has taken to date to set up the agency; the further actions her Department plans to take; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17456/25]
Further and Higher Education 1 question
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is satisfied that all available opportunities for trade apprenticeships within each Government Department are being allocated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17031/25]
Enterprise 1 question
- 2025-04-10 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will consider raising the quota or removing it for the category healthcare assistant-community based, given the shortage of healthcare assistants in the community at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18389/25]
Housing 1 question
- 2025-04-10 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant homes officers employed in each local authority; the number of posts that are vacant; the cost of employing each officer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18152/25]
Health 1 question
- 2025-04-10 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Health the current arrangements for a GP practice based in Kildare (details supplied). [18155/25]
Rural 1 question
- 2025-04-10 Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the funding available to a community group to progress a community infrastructure project (details supplied). [18156/25]

Martin Heydon — Fine Gael 0 votes · 0 questions · 0 new lobbying returns

Quiet week — no questions filed or new lobbying returns.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl — Fianna Fáil 5 votes · 10 questions · 0 new lobbying returns

Questions asked 10 total

Taoiseach 2 questions
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Taoiseach to report on the work of the child poverty programme in his Department. [13751/25]
- 2025-04-09 Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Taoiseach if he will provide a list of houses and shops in towns or villages that were identified as being vacant on the occasion of the last census in 2022, by-county, in tabular form. [17943/25]
Tourism 2 questions
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if his Department has any scheme or grant available to assist schools at primary and post primary level who wish to teach students how to play the traditional Irish harp; if any agencies receiving funding from his Department are active in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16927/25]
- 2025-04-09 Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if he has had or if he will have consultations with local authorities about the development of a national strategy for the provision of public swimming pools; his views on whether the sharing of designs and the possibility of joint tendering could lead to the more economic provision of public swimming facilities as well as ensuring that people living at any location across the country are within reasonable proximity to a public swimming pool; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17790/25]
Defence 1 question
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will expedite a decision in relation to the 62 residential units under the control of his Department in County Kildare, with a view to refurbishment and reuse of the properties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16926/25]
Transport 1 question
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Transport if he will address the concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding the CIÉ 1951 pension scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17461/25]
Education 1 question
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education the status of the traditional Irish harp in primary and post primary curriculum; if, given the expense of purchasing an Irish harp, funding is available from her Department or agencies associated with these significant instruments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16928/25]
Further and Higher Education 1 question
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will address the issues raised in correspondence relating to adult education tutors (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17446/25]
Foreign 1 question
- 2025-04-09 Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide a list of the countries which are the primary beneficiaries of Irelands Development Aid Programme, in tabular form; if he is aware of any projects funded by Irish Aid that have been co-funded by US aid; if there are strategies in place to sustain these projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17942/25]
Housing 1 question
- 2025-04-09 Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is concerned at the declining number of habitable thatched houses in the State; if he accepts that the cost of thatching together with the difficulty in securing affordable insurance presents particular difficulties for residents in these classic homes; if he further accepts that the level of grant aid available for rethatching is inadequate; his views on whether the State will need to invest substantially if these characteristic dwellings are to be preserved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17791/25]

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh — Sinn Féin 5 votes · 10 questions · 0 new lobbying returns

Questions asked 10 total

Education 4 questions
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the number of new special classes and special schools sanctioned for September 2025; if she will guarantee these will all be open by September 2025 and fully resourced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16978/25]
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education if she is aware of children who were forced into mainstream schools because they could not secure a suitable placement for their child; how she and her Department plan to address this for the upcoming school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17222/25]
- 2025-04-08 Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education if she has met with parents who held a 24-hour sleep-out outside her Department’s headquarters on Tuesday, 1 April 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17221/25]
- 2025-04-10 Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education if she has met with parents who slept outside her Department recently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18220/25]
Health 3 questions
- 2025-04-10 Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health the number of caterers within the HSE are employed by agencies from 2020 to date, in tabular form. [18215/25]
- 2025-04-10 Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health the amount the HSE spends on agency staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18216/25]
- 2025-04-10 Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of the rheumatology waiting list in Tallaght Hospital; and the steps she is taking to help reduce waiting times. [18217/25]
Finance 2 questions
- 2025-04-10 Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Finance the correct and fair treatment of unpaid maternity leave in SCSB calculations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18218/25]
- 2025-04-10 Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Finance if he is a policy review to ensure maternity-related earnings are treated equitably in redundancy tax exemptions.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18219/25]
Justice 1 question
- 2025-04-10 Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Justice if there is an update regarding the withholding of funds from an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18221/25]