Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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This item arises from previous correspondence the committee received with respect to the Department's accounts. The Department spent something in the region of €33,000 on media monitoring services. I had submitted parliamentary questions on this matter to other Departments, as had Deputy Catherine Murphy. Several Departments employ external media monitoring services. Can the committee secure a report as to the overall cost of media monitoring services across Departments and whether there is scope for savings to be made? As I read the responses I have received to my parliamentary questions, each Department individually contracts companies to carry out media monitoring. Many contract the same company, but they do so on an individual basis. The costs fluctuate greatly. If I recall correctly, the Department of Justice pays the most, approximately €50,000 per annum. Other Departments pay much less and some carry out this monitoring internally. Could a holistic evaluation be carried out? Is that something the Comptroller and Auditor General could do for us?