It takes up to one year to get answers from the Department of Health, the Dáil heard today.
All parliamentary questions submitted to Tánaiste Mary Harney's department are now referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE), and Opposition TDs often complain about the delay in getting a response.
Fine Gael front bench TD Bernard Durkan today claimed he received a letter yesterday from the HSE's Parliamentary Affairs Division that apologised for the delay in replying.
"It was a response to a question put down in the House almost a year ago. I got an apology for the delay," he told the Dáil during the Order of Business.
Ceann Comhairle Dr Rory O'Hanlon intervened to rule that the deputy was out of order in raising the matter.
But Mr Durkan replied: "It is relevant. It refers to the very way that parliamentary questions are answered in this House."
He added: "It's about time that the Tánaiste recognised that the system operating in that department is totally unsatisfactory."