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

The whole point is that this is operating at arm's length. As my Department has confirmed, when it came to the regional newspaper advertorials, all the communications unit provided was the content of what was in the Project Ireland 2040 plan. No suggestions were made as to who should be interviewed. No people were put forward for interview. No photographs were provided. The content in those advertorials, beyond the basic facts was determined by the media organisations and not by me, civil servants or my Department. I note from the analysis carried out by The Irish Timesthat 18 of the 20 regional newspaper advertorials contained no names and no interviews, just a factual synopsis of what was in the plan. Seventeen of the 20 have no photographs of politicians, other than those of Ministers who attended the event in Sligo.

The Leader of the Opposition has on a few occasions referenced a candidate who is not a Member of the Oireachtas. The only candidate who is not a Member of the Oireachtas and who appears in any of the advertorials is a candidate who appears in an advertorial by the Longford Leader. However, is it not the case that the owner-editor of the Longford Leaderis, in fact, a Fianna Fáil candidate?

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