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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 14 together.

Good, clear and consistent communication is a virtue of good government. Citizens have a right to know what Government is doing and why.

The strategic communications unit was established earlier this year to bring that consistency, clarity and professionalism to all Government communications. It means communication is treated as a strategic, whole-of-Government activity, which must be conducted to the same level of professionalism as any other activity, such as human resource management, or financial management.

To date, the Cabinet has approved the strategic communications unit in my Department to work on the following campaigns in the coming months: the ten-year capital plan, Brexit, the national children's hospital, the Healthy Ireland framework, the Creative Ireland programme, global Ireland and rural Ireland. Further information campaigns will be added to this list in due course.

The unit's work on campaigns is informed by major Government initiatives that have an impact on the lives of our citizens, its focus is to streamline communications by working with other Departments to deliver on these major cross-Government campaigns.

It will help to ensure clear simple citizen-centered communications, so that it is evident when the Government of Ireland is communicating or delivering a service. This will lead to more co-ordinated and cost-effective communications that will generate efficiencies and increased value for money.

The national children's hospital represents the largest single investment in health care in this country and will provide world-class medical care to the children of Ireland. This new model of care for all paediatric services is for the whole country and will help tackle current and future challenges in child health and will deliver on the huge advances that are possible in children's health care.

Staff from the strategic communications unit in my Department will work in partnership with their communications colleagues in the Department of Health and other organisations involved in the delivery of the hospital. The focus of the campaign will be to keep citizens fully informed of progress in the delivery of the hospital and the new model of care it will provide, which involves much more than the hospital as it is a piece of national infrastructure.

The contract for the research and insight survey, which was procured by the Office of Government Procurement, has been awarded to Behaviour & Attitudes. Results of the survey will be published.

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