Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 101: To ask the Minister for Finance if a study has been carried out as to the cost to the Exchequer on average of dealing with Parliamentary Questions; if so, the details thereof; and if not, if he will provide an estimate of such costs. [27810/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I am not aware of any study having been carried out into the cost to the Exchequer on average of dealing with Parliamentary Question and I am less than convinced that any such study would result in a meaningful average cost. As the costs of answering a parliamentary question vary according to the nature and phraseology of the questions asked, an average cost for any period on the basis of the costs to Departments generally may differ significantly from that applicable to any individual Department. Since the nature and the demands made on staff may differ from day to day, the average may also fluctuate depending on the period over which it is calculated.