Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have a question for the Minister arising from the debate in the Dáil on the Government's spin unit and its payment for advertisements to promote Fine Gael Party Deputies and candidates. Yesterday, an advertisement popped up on my Facebook page for an article sponsored by The Irish Timesand featuring a photograph of the Minister. The article was headlined, Working to create "the best possible environment for business". When I clicked the sponsored article, I found it was paid for by IDA Ireland, an agency whose primary objective is to encourage investment in Ireland by foreign-owned companies. When I clicked on the Facebook option "Why am I seeing this?", I was informed that The Irish Timeswanted to reach men aged 22 years or older who live in Ireland or who were recently in the country. Given that most men aged 22 years or older living in Ireland will not attract multinational investments to Ireland, I do not understand the reason IDA Ireland would pay for such an advertisement.

A photograph of the Minister featured prominently in the article, which commenced with the words, "As a native of Monaghan ..." In a year in which an election is probable, I found it strange that IDA Ireland would pay for such an advertisement. Will the Minister clarify how much was spent on the campaign in question and indicate whether other State agencies are paying for such advertisements?