Types of questions

Members should indicate that their question requires an oral answer. Unless a Member indicates otherwise, a question is assumed to require a written answer.

Oral questions

Oral questions can be subdivided into the following:

• Priority questions
• Ordinary oral questions
• Questions to the Taoiseach
• Private notice questions, also known as special notice questions 

Priority questions

Notice period: 3 days

Only a Member who has been appointed by a group may submit questions for priority oral answer, a group being a party with at least seven Members. Only the Member who tabled the question may ask supplementary questions. 

Up to five priority questions for oral answer may be asked on a sitting day. The number that each group may ask, and the order they are taken in, is governed by order of the Dáil. Up to six minutes is allowed for discussion of each question, which incorporates 30 seconds for the Member to put the question, two minutes for the Minister to respond and one minute each in sequence thereafter, beginning with the Member. 

If a priority question is transferred or disallowed, the Member may use a previously selected substitute priority question in its stead, or may upgrade an ordinary question for oral answer to a priority question for oral answer. This must be done on receipt of notice that a substitute priority is required and the deadline for receipt of the substitute will be notified to the Deputy. 

Ministers, but not the Taoiseach, take priority questions for oral answer. 

Ordinary oral questions

Notice period: 4 days

Apart from the Taoiseach, Ministers answer on the basis of a daily rota, each of them answering questions on one day in approximately every five weeks. 

Each Member may put down a maximum of two questions for oral answer on any one day; questions to the Taoiseach are not included in this limit. Party or group spokespersons may put down five. The order in which oral questions, to a line Minister, appear on the Order Paper is determined by means of an electronic lottery. The original question and its reply may lead to a short debate on the floor of the House, through supplementary questions which may be asked by any Member present. Supplementary questions are permitted at the discretion of the Ceann Comhairle and must be relevant to the original question. 

Given time constraints, not all questions will receive an oral answer. In the case of the Taoiseach, any question not disposed of on the first day it appears shall be placed on the Questions Paper for the next two sitting days on which the Taoiseach is due to answer. Where any question to An Taoiseach is not disposed of on the third sitting day on which it appears on the Questions Paper, the Deputy in whose name the question has been submitted may contact the Questions Office within 30 minutes of the conclusion of Taoiseach’s question time to resubmit the question.  

If not resubmitted, the Taoiseach shall cause an answer to appear in the Official Report of the debates. 

In the case of Ministers, those questions not reached receive a written answer. 

Questions to the Taoiseach

Notice period: 4 days

The Taoiseach answers questions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and does not take priority questions. However, the Taoiseach does answer private notice questions. 

Private notice questions

Notice period: May be submitted up to 2.30 p.m. on the same day 

A private notice question must relate to a matter which, in the opinion of the Ceann Comhairle, is of urgent public importance and has arisen so suddenly as to prevent Members from tabling ordinary oral or written questions within the normal deadlines. 

Because they relate to urgent matters, the deadline for receipt of private notice questions in the Questions Office is 2.30 p.m. on the day that they are due to be answered. 

Private notice questions may be asked of the Taoiseach on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and of other members of the Government on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Private notice questions are taken immediately after the Topical Issues debate.

Written questions

Notice period: 3 days

Questions for written answer must be submitted by 11:00 a.m. three working days in advance of the relevant Dáil sitting, for example on a Thursday for the following Tuesday.