Oireachtas officials had to overhaul the system for TDs to ask questions to clamp down on AI use

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FROM SEPTEMBER, TDS will have to use a new system to submit parliamentary questions (PQs) to ministers in an effort to ease pressure caused by AI use.

Ahead of the summer recess, concerns had been raised about a bottleneck in the system amid a sharp increase in the number of queries this Dáil term.

So far in 2026, TDs have asked 50,012 questions, compared with 40,466 in the same period last year, an increase of 19%.

Rather than impose a limit on the number of PQs each TD can ask, the Oireachtas Committee on Standing Orders and Dáil Reform agreed to implement a new system for submitting PQs to improve the flow and management of queries.

From September, when the Dáil returns after the summer recess, TDs will submit PQs via the internal Oireachtas Áis-Linn system (which is already used for submitting things like speaker lists and topical issues) rather than via email.

This will be introduced on a phased basis for a number of weeks before a hard move over from the current system.

It is hoped the change will stem the number of questions, with one TD saying it should stop TDs “slapping a load into an email” as PQs will have to be submitted to the new system one by one.

In June, as a first port of call, Ceann Comhairle of the Dáil, Verona Murphy, had proposed writing to TDs to ask them to be mindful of how they use the PQ system.

However, once agreement was reached on the new system, Murphy opted not to write to TDs.

By far, the Department of Health is the biggest recipient of PQs, receiving over 11,800 so far this year. The Department of Education is the second highest recipient of PQs, with over 5,600 so far this year.

Independent Ireland TD for Cork North Central, Ken O’Flynn, is the deputy to have submitted the most PQs, having put in 5,203 to date in 2026. After O’Flynn, the highest number came from Fine Gael’s Barry Ward, who has submitted 1,897.

When the Cork North Central TD was asked whether he used AI for parliamentary questions, he did not deny it, telling the Irish Times last month: “The relevant question is not what tool was used. The relevant question is whether the information is accurate and whether the questions are legitimate.”

A spokesperson for the Oireachtas told The Journal that the new system will “supports the full lifecycle of Parliamentary Questions – from submission to processing, tracking and replies – within a single secure and user-friendly system”.

“It has been designed to simplify and improve the overall management of Parliamentary Questions,” they said.

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