Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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875. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Parliamentary Questions he has referred to An Garda Síochána for reply in each of the 12 months June 2016 to date in 2017; the time taken for a reply in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28636/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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In line with Standing Order 42A, which was agreed during the course of the current Dáil, parliamentary questions may be referred to a body under the aegis of a Government Department for direct reply. The parliamentary question IT system used by the Department does not permit the database to be searched in such a way as to identify all questions which have been specifically so referred to An Garda Síochána so it is not possible to provide the information sought by the Deputy. In terms of the time taken for a reply in such cases, Standing Order 42A sets out a target of 10 working days after the question has been answered in the Dáil. As the length of time it takes for An Garda Síochána to respond to a question is dependent on a number of factors, including the complexity of the request, the volume of information sought and the level of coordination required to provide the requested information, it is not always possible to provide a complete answer within the timeframes set out by the Oireachtas. This remains the aim of my Department in relation to all parliamentary questions, however.