Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 131: To ask the Minister for Finance if, in view of the reported cost of €200 to answer a parliamentary question, he views this figure as accurate; if so, the measures he is taking to introduce efficiencies within the system to reduce this cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18648/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The cost of answering a Parliamentary Question will vary according to the nature, and phraseology of the question asked and this inevitably involves differences in the costs among Departments and indeed within a Department from time to time. Replies to such questions are treated with the utmost seriousness by Departments and Ministers and accordingly considerable care is taken with the replies. Regulation of the manner in which questions are submitted and answered is a matter for the House itself. I would be happy to consider any proposals the Oireachtas Commission may consider in this context.

I would suggest that some information sought in Parliamentary Questions could be obtained less expensively if Deputies made fuller use of the information already available, requested it directly through the information offices of the Departments and other bodies concerned and exploited more fully the research facilities provided by the Oireachtas Commission through the Oireachtas Library and Research Services.