FINE Gael TD Bernard Durkan has put down over 1,000 parliamentary questions since the Dáil resumed in September, it has emerged.

A study of the questions put down in the past three months shows 10 Fine Gael TDs asked in excess of 100 questions, a total of around 3,500.

However, Durkan is well clear of the field, with his 1,018 questions – many of which deal with the residency status of foreign nationals – almost 67% higher than the 608 questions put down by party leader Enda Kenny.

The number of questions put down by the Kildare North deputy has been criticised across the floor of the house by government TDs who argue it is a waste of taxpayers' money.

Kenny has put the cost of a parliamentary question at €200. If this figure is applied, it would suggest Durkan's questions since September have cost in excess of €200,000.

Durkan fiercely rejects this and counters that it is the government that has "the franchise" on wasting taxpayers' money.

Speaking to the Sunday Tribune, he said the vast majority of questions were straightforward and did not cost anything like €200 to process.

Putting down a Dáil question cost around a third of what it cost to write to a department to establish the information and was much more time efficient and cost effective, he added.

Durkan said he had no apology to make for putting down Dáil questions as it was the duty of TDs, particularly opposition TDs, to ask questions and hold the government to account.

"Any attempt to water this down is an abomination and I will resist any attempt to do that," he added.

When members of the public came to him with queries, it was his job to deal with that and he would continue to do so, Durkan said, adding: "All TDs should do it to keep the relevant government departments on their toes."