Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 364: To ask the Minister for Transport the average cost to his Department of answering a parliamentary question. [3868/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Replies to Parliamentary Questions are drafted by the staff in the line divisions dealing with the particular issues raised. The number of staff and the time spent on an individual answer depends on the complexity of the issues raised, the level of supporting detail to be retrieved and collated and the form of the proposed response, i.e. whether oral or written.

In addition, for this Department there is the added complexity that much of the information sought has to be obtained from outside agencies and we would not be privy to their costs — thus I regret it would not be possible to give the Deputy an accurate assessment of the costs involved.