Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 227: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the average cost to his Department of answering a parliamentary question. [3863/08]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Parliamentary Questions are dealt with, as the need arises, by the staff in the sections dealing with the particular issue(s) raised in individual Parliamentary Questions. The number and level of staff and time spent on an individual answer depends on the complexity and importance of the issue raised , the form in which the information exists in the Department, and the form of the proposed response, i.e. whether oral or written.

As the processing of individual Parliamentary Questions is undertaken as part of the normal day to day work of individual sections within the Department it is not possible to isolate the administrative costs of processing Parliamentary Questions from the overall administrative costs of the Department.