Cork TDs ask 3,358 parliamentary questions in 2024

Cork TDs have tabled 3,358 parliamentary questions so far this year 2024, with the most common topics including school places, special education, health and mental health services.

A parliamentary question is a question raised by a member of the Oireachtas for answer by the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, or a minister.

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns asked the most questions at 446 —119 of these related to healthcare while children, education, and agriculture were the other most common topics.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke, TD for Cork North Central, had the next highest number at 429 — over half of which related to healthcare which were asked prior to his appointment as Junior Minister at the Department of Health.

Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould, also a Cork North Central TD, had the third highest number of questions with 397, with healthcare, housing and transport the main topics.

There were 1,285 questions asked by Cork North Central TDs, with 342 by Fianna Fáil’s Padraig O’Sullivan and 117 by People Before Profit-Solidarity’s Mick Barry. Special education, school building projects, health, mental health and disability services were the most popular topics here.

Just 248 questions were asked in Cork South Central, with 235 asked by Sinn Fein’s Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire. His ward colleagues asked the least questions of any Cork TDs — Micheál Martin asked zero, Simon Coveney asked two and Michael McGrath, 11.

COMMON QUESTIONS

The most common question topics were international protection, departmental budgets, social welfare, mental health services and hospital waiting lists.

In Cork East, there were 726 questions asked — 285 from Labour’s Sean Sherlock, 256 from Fine Gael’s David Stanton, 122 from Fianna Fáil’s James O’Connor, and 63 from Sinn Féin’s Pat Buckley. Flood relief schemes and risk management was the most popular topic followed by school accommodation/transport, special education, and road projects.

In Cork South West, there were 553 questions asked — 446 from Ms Cairns, 74 from Fianna Fáil’s Christopher O’Sullivan, and 33 from Independent Ireland’s Michael Collins. Health, mental health, and disability services and special education were amonst the most popular topics.

Some 546 questions were asked in Cork North West — 314 by Aindrias Moynihan and 93 by Michael Moynihan of Fianna Fáil, plus 139 by Fine Gael’s Michael Creed. Agriculture accounted for the most questions, followed by social welfare, the defence forces and housing schemes.