Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is correct. It was done separately. I am doing my best to answer the Deputy's question, with all of the others. The concept behind it, as used by governments across the world, is that when it comes to research, one cannot improve something, unless one can measure it. Separate from the strategic communications unit, the Department of Health has for the first time commissioned a patient experience survey, from the results of which we will be able to know about people's experiences of the health service and how they compare from service to service and hospital to hospital. This will allow the Department to improve the service and see if the public agrees with the improvements made. That is exactly the approach the Government should take. We need to ask citizens and customers what they think of the services we are providing; look to see where there may be deficiencies; make changes and then see if they have actually worked. The only way we can know if they have worked is by again asking people after the changes have been made whether their perceptions have improved. The basic concept for a very long time has been measure it; improve it; measure it again; and see if the improvements have made a difference. What matters most is what citizens think, not what politicians think, be they on these benches or elsewhere.

In response to the question on advertising bought by Departments, they have bought advertising for all sorts of information campaign for as long as I can remember. What is slightly different this time is that much more of the advertising is being carried online through Twitter, Facebook and so forth. This is 2017 and communications have changed. I look back with a degree of amusement at the controversy when Fianna Fáil was in government and set up www.merrionstreet.ie. My own party and the Labour Party for that matter made much the same criticisms at the time that the Opposition is making today. It was felt that it was terrible for the Government to set up a website and people wondered what the whole thing was about. All Fianna Fáil's setting up of www.merrionstreet.ie amounted to was a move towards modern communications and the Government having a website, although there was a big fuss about it at the time. What we are doing now also embraces modern communications, involving Twitter, Facebook, videos and that manner of modern technology.

On the issue of assistant secretaries in each Department, Deputy Brendan Howlin is correct in saying it will not be a dedicated post but rather a position included among their existing responsibilities. This position already exists in many Departments but not in others.

While I said the strategic communications unit would be cost-neutral, I never said it would cost nothing. Any unit with employees and that will be involved in information campaigns will, of course, cost something. I said it would be cost-neutral. If anyone looks at the Department of the Taoiseach's Vote in the budget book, he or she will see that the overall budget for my Department is down by approximately €1 million. The savings made in each section are explained in detail, line by line.

With regard to the former Government Information Service, GIS, its former functions in respect of www.merrionstreet.ie will be integrated into the new structure, while the Government Press Office will continue to operate as before, dealing with day-to-day media queries under the direction of the Government Press Secretary.

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