Galway East — week of Mon, 29 Sept

What your Galway East TDs did this week

Mon, 29 Sept – 5 Oct 2025 · 4 TDs · 3 bills voted on · 34 questions · 0 new lobbying filings

Votes this week

Industrial Relations (Boycott of Joint Labour Committees) Bill 2025

2025-10-01 · 1 vote · Labour Party PMB

A bill to amend the provisions relating to the constitution of joint labour committees, so as to provide for cases where organisations of employers or of workers fail or refuse …

full description

A bill to amend the provisions relating to the constitution of joint labour committees, so as to provide for cases where organisations of employers or of workers fail or refuse to engage in consultation with the Labour Court prior to the appointment of representative (employers) members or representative (workers) members, as the case may be; and to provide for connected matters.

Whether the bill should proceed (Second Stage) · motion failed 61–81

Voted for 1 Louis O'Hara

Voted against 3 Albert Dolan · Peter Roche · Seán Canney

Insurance Costs

2025-10-01 · 1 vote

The motion · motion failed 60–82

Voted for 1 Louis O'Hara

Voted against 3 Albert Dolan · Peter Roche · Seán Canney

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

2025-09-30 · 1 vote

The week's Dáil business schedule · motion passed 75–61

Voted for 1 Peter Roche

Voted against 1 Louis O'Hara

Did not vote 2 Albert Dolan · Seán Canney

Albert Dolan — Fianna Fáil 2 votes · 19 questions · 0 new lobbying returns

Questions asked 19 total

Health 8 questions
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Health when the senior speech and language (SLT) post covering the Loughrea area, which became vacant due to maternity leave in July 2025, will be filled; the interim measures being implemented to maintain SLT services in the Loughrea area while the post remains vacant; the plans the HSE has to address the wider shortage of senior SLTs to prevent future disruptions in the future.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51500/25]
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the implementation of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) screening in the national newborn bloodspot heel-prick test, in view of the decision made in 2023 to include SMA in the programme alongside severe combined immunodeficiency; the reasons for the ongoing delay in its roll out despite the allocation of funding and the acknowledged urgency of early detection; and the timeframe for when SMA screening will be fully implemented to ensure that no child in Ireland is denied the opportunity for early diagnosis and treatment. [51504/25]
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 778 of 8 July 2025, the reason the Health Service Executive only began publishing purchase order data for payments over €100,000 on its website from quarter four of 2021 onwards; the reason equivalent reports for the period prior to quarter four 2021 are not available on the HSE’s website; and if he will confirm whether the pre-2021 data exists; where it is held; and if it will now be made publicly available. [51655/25]
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Health if the Health Service Executive will publish its procurement related purchase order payment reports (details supplied) in machine-readable formats such as CSV or Excel on a quarterly basis, in line with open data standards; if not, the legal, technical, or operational constraints that prevent compliance with the requirement under S.I. No. 376/2021, which transposed Directive (EU) 2019/1024 on open data and the reuse of public sector information into Irish law; and the steps the HSE or his Department has taken or plans to take to align reporting with open data principles to improve accessibility, transparency, and re-use of this information by the public [51656/25]
- 2025-10-02 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Health if she will provide an update on the current status of maternity services at Portiuncula University Hospital, Ballinasloe; and to outline the measures being taken to ensure the long-term sustainability and safety of maternity care for families in this facility. [52335/25]
- 2025-10-02 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Health the number of calls made to the National Ambulance Service to attend a property (details supplied) in 2024 and from 1 January 2025 and to date in 2025. [52780/25]
- 2025-10-02 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Health the number of calls made to Westdoc to attend a property (details supplied) in 2024 and from 1 January 2025 to date in 2025. [52781/25]
- 2025-10-02 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Health the number of recipients of the flu vaccine for each of the past four years, by county or geographical area; by age category; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52924/25]
Agriculture 3 questions
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if all contracting authorities under the aegis of his Department are in full compliance with Circular 05/2023, in particular the mandatory requirement to publish contract award notices for all contracts above €25,000; and if he will provide details of the monitoring or enforcement arrangements in place to ensure this requirement is met. [51658/25]
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures in place within his Department, and across contracting authorities under its aegis, to ensure that mini-competitions conducted under public procurement frameworks are run strictly in accordance with the published award criteria and the provisions of S.I. No. 284/2016; if he will report on the oversight mechanisms in place to guarantee fairness, competition and transparency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51659/25]
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if contracting authorities under the aegis operating frameworks are required under Regulation 55 of S.I. No. 284/2016 to provide unsuccessful tenderers with written debriefs, including scoring breakdowns, the name of the winning tenderer, and the relative advantages of the successful tender; and the way in which compliance with these obligations is being monitored. [51660/25]
Transport 1 question
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Transport the status of the promised bus service linking Athenry to Galway city, which was schedule to commence in Q2 of 2025; the reason for the delay; a timeline for the introduction of this vital service to Athenry, which is currently lacking any public bus service. [51765/25]
Finance 1 question
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Finance the number of outstanding appellants before the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal who reside in the west of Ireland; if he will arrange for a clinic of the board to be convened in Galway or another suitable west of Ireland location, given the accessibility challenges for applicants required to travel to Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51653/25]
Public Expenditure 1 question
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation given that the Freedom of Information Model Publication Scheme Guidance (2016) issued by his Department under Section 8 of the FOI Act specifies that ‘payments or purchase orders for goods and services’ should be published on a quarterly basis for amounts above €20,000, but with a higher €100,000 threshold applying to the HSE, if his Department will review this threshold in light of the planned introduction of the HSE integrated financial management system, which will enable more comprehensive reporting; and if consideration has been given to aligning the HSE with the €20,000 publication threshold now applied to other FOI bodies, so as to enhance transparency and ensure consistency across the public sector. [51657/25]
Enterprise 1 question
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the options open to employees where employers are seeking to curtail remote working for existing employees, especially where employees have purchased homes in rural areas on the basis of a legitimate expectation of being able to work remotely; whether such attempts at curtailment could be tantamount to constructive dismissal as commuting long distances may make an employee feel their position is untenable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51446/25]
Education 1 question
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth to commit to funding for repairs, upkeep and inspections of the playground adjoining a school (details supplied), which is used extensively on a daily basis by every class in the school and consequently experiences significant wear and tear, the cost of which currently has to be met through fundraising by the local community group. [51502/25]
Further and Higher Education 1 question
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for an update on the current waiting times for apprentices registered under the GRETB, including those on the manufacturing engineering programme; if he will outline the average and longest waiting times for block release training across all trades nationally; the reasons for these delays; and the measures being taken to address the backlog and ensure apprentices are not left waiting years to progress their training. [51501/25]
Culture 1 question
- 2025-10-02 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport for an update on the roll-out of high-speed fibre broadband to communities across the Galway East constituency; and the expected timeline for full coverage in the area. [52333/25]
Justice 1 question
- 2025-10-02 Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of incidents recorded on the PULSE system regarding a property (details supplied) in 2024 and from 1 January 2025 to date in 2025. [52779/25]

Louis O'Hara — Sinn Féin 3 votes · 15 questions · 0 new lobbying returns

Questions asked 15 total

Transport 5 questions
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on the work his Department is undertaking following the review of the national development plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52148/25]
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on current work underway to establish driving licence exchange agreements between the United States of America and Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51387/25]
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on the current review of small public service vehicle provision in rural areas; whether he is aware of the challenges facing rural hackney providers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51814/25]
- 2025-10-02 Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Transport for an update on the drafting of the revised National Vehicle and Driver File Bill 2025; to provide an indicative timeline for when the sharing and processing of road traffic collision data with local authorities will be facilitated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52719/25]
- 2025-10-02 Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Transport if he is aware that as part of the DART+ West project there are some stations along the proposed Maynooth line which will not have an elevator facility, which has caused concerns amongst disability advocacy groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52720/25]
Education 5 questions
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth if two school bus tickets will be re-issued (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51107/25]
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 536 of 17 September 2025, if students can avail of an existing school bus route between Loughrea and Ballinasloe (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51449/25]
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth to confirm if her Department is responsible for the funding of ongoing operational costs (rent, rates, staffing, administration etc.) of publicly funded programmes such as music generation and ETB music services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52019/25]
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth the plans her Department has for a site (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52083/25]
- 2025-10-01 Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will abandon the new NCSE guidelines for the review of SNA allocations for the 2025/2026 school year and re-engage with school communities to ensure that review guidelines do not risk reducing supports for children with additional educational needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52167/25]
Health 2 questions
- 2025-10-02 Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Health if the decision to downgrade maternity services at Portiuncula University Hospital will be reconsidered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52191/25]
- 2025-10-02 Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Health if she will engage with the National Ambulance Service regarding the need for a rapid response vehicle at Tuam ambulance base, County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52190/25]
Further and Higher Education 1 question
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department is responsible for the funding of ongoing operational costs (rent, rates, staffing, administration, etc.) of publicly funded programmes such as music generation and ETB music services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52018/25]
Rural 1 question
- 2025-09-30 Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if a rural regeneration and development fund (RRDF) application (details supplied) will be expedited; when he expects to announce the RRDF funding allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51465/25]
Culture 1 question
- 2025-10-02 Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the steps Galway County Council should take in order to secure funding for a swimming pool in Loughrea, County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52192/25]

Peter Roche — Fine Gael 3 votes · 0 questions · 0 new lobbying returns

Seán Canney — Independent 2 votes · 0 questions · 0 new lobbying returns