Definitions and overview
A parliamentary question (PQ) is a question addressed to a minister in the Dáil, usually by an opposition member or backbencher, on a matter related to that minister’s portfolio.
The minister is obliged to provide a factually accurate answer to the question. The Taoiseach answers questions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and the other ministers rotate their days so that every minister must regularly answer PQs.
PQs are divided into two types: oral (asked in the Dáil) and written. TDs may ask a minister two oral PQs, giving four days’ notice of each question and an unlimited amount of written PQs, giving three days’ notice.
There are also five priority oral PQs asked each day, for which three days’ notice is given.
PQs and the answers given then form part of the published record of the Dáil.
Creating a PQ file
Once notice of a PQ is received by a department, it is prioritised and delegated to a civil servant.
For written PQs, an answer is usually only provided for the exact question that is asked.
For oral PQs, the answer to the question is provided as well as a note for the minister, allowing him or her to elaborate on the answer in the Dáil debate and to answer supplementary questions that his or her answer might provoke. This note will usually require some research by the civil servant charged with providing the answer to the PQ and documents pertaining to this research are often found in the PQ file.
Records created during the process
A PQ file will contain the question that was asked of the minister and the answer that was given in the Dáil, both usually copied from the daily report of the Dáil.
Review and recommendations
PQ files within the National Archives
The National Archives have reviewed existing PQ files to ascertain if they merited long-term preservation. From this review, it is clear that a distinction should be made between written PQ files which generally hold very minimal information (usually only the question and answer copied from the Dáil record) and oral PQ files, which contain information and documents copied from other departmental records. Oral PQ files might also include briefing notes prepared by civil servants.
PQ files held by departments
Consultation with the Office of the Clerk of the Dáil provided the National Archives with the following figures for the number of PQs submitted annually for 13 years.
| Year | Oral replies | Written replies | With-drawn | Dis-allowed | Total |
| 1996 | 1,714 | 17,424 | 3,033 | 1,954 | 24,125 |
| 1997 | 925 | 12,920 | 2,689 | 1,208 | 17,742 |
| 1998 | 1,597 | 20,174 | 3,132 | 1,564 | 26,467 |
| 1999 | 1,779 | 19,576 | 3,632 | 1,560 | 26,547 |
| 2000 | 1,874 | 21,846 | 4,099 | 1,404 | 29,223 |
| 2001 | 1,736 | 23,254 | 4,786 | 1,395 | 31,121 |
| 2002 | 1,172 | 19,595 | 3,852 | 1,515 | 26,134 |
| 2003 | 1,894 | 24,012 | 3,499 | 1,512 | 30,917 |
| 2004 | 1,875 | 25,960 | 3,781 | 1,445 | 32,791 |
| 2005 | 1,780 | 31,864 | 3,956 | 1,641 | 39,241 |
| 2006 | 1,688 | 34,463 | 4,724 | 1,663 | 42,538 |
| 2007 | 1,289 | 26,818 | 4,442 | 1,204 | 33,753 |
| 2008 | 1,496 | 33.638 | 8,726 | 922 | 44,782 |
From the above figures, it is clear that the number of oral PQs has remained relatively constant, at an average of 1600 per year. The amount of written PQs has been increasing in the period, from an average of 19,800 from 1996–2002 to an average of 29,500 from 2003–2008.
On this basis, volume alone presents a compelling argument for the examination of PQ files as a record class in order to appraise them for retention or destruction.
Recommendations
After reviewing PQ files, the National Archives has noted the following:
- The creation of a PQ file is not a core function of the Department of State. It is a peripheral activity that does not create any significant new records of the department’s functions, structures and activities.
- The key record of a parliamentary question is the record published in the proceedings of the Dáil.
- The information collated in PQ files is generally found in the department’s records and is copied or abstracted and placed in the PQ file. The only unique information tends to relate to the collating of this information, such as letters between civil servants and government departments and agencies seeking information on the subject at hand, which is then copied from the records of that department or agency.
PQ disposal certificate
To apply for a disposal certificate for PQs, please email query@nationalarchives.ie with your request for the attention of the Head of Current Records.
Please note that the disposal of any departmental records, including PQ files, without the issuing of a Certificate of Disposal of Departmental Records signed by the Director of the National Archives, is a breach of section 7 of the National Archives Act, 1986.
Terms of disposal (attached to the certificate)
The National Archives issues the following guidelines and directions in relation to the disposal of PQ files in Departments of State:
- All written PQ files currently held by departments may be permitted to be destroyed if they are no longer needed for business purposes.
- Written PQ files that are created in the future by departments may be destroyed after they are no longer needed for business purposes.
- Oral PQ files that are of a routine nature concerning issues which are of no major significance to the department or the governance of Ireland, may be destroyed 10 years after their administrative use has concluded.
- Oral PQ files that:
- Concern issues of a contentious nature and/or cause significant public debate
- Concern a matter of national significance
- Cause significant debate within a department
Are to be retained and transferred to the National Archives in accordance with the provisions of the National Archives Act, 1986.
Where departments do not retain PQ files as a specific series or where the contents of PQ files are placed on existing departmental files, this authorisation will not apply.