Nearly half a million euro was spent on Covid-19 information booklets, according to Freedom of Information files.
The Department of Health sent copies to every home in the country recently - two million in English and two million in Irish.
An Post delivered the English version for free but postage for the Irish edition cost nearly €100,000.
Galway West TD Eamon Ó Cuiv has criticised the Department of Health.
"There was a serious waste of money there.
"They could have saved at least €100,000 if not €140,000 by producing the Irish and English versions together in one booklet and getting them delivered for free.
"There are serious questions to be answered by the Department as to why they wasted all of that money."
Mr Ó Cuiv said that what happened was that in publishing the booklets, the law was not followed and someone made a complaint to the language commissioner who then pointed it out to the Department.
"They had to rectify the mistake at a cost of €130,000 to the tax payer."