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

In terms of cross-departmental campaigns, what is different is that it is no longer intended to fund cross-departmental campaigns through my Department. However, it is intended that the Government Information Service will have a role in co-ordinating cross-departmental campaigns, for example, Healthy Ireland, which cuts across different Departments. Project Ireland 2040 will be handed over in large part to the management board consisting of officials from the Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform and Housing, Planning and Local Government.

As for specific changes, activities have been pared back and planned campaigns have not happened. Other things have continued, such as the regional and sectoral launches of Project Ireland 2040. There were 15 staff members in the unit, of whom seven or eight already worked in communications in GIS or MerrionStreet.ie. Of those 15, only seven or eight were new or additional staff members, which is where the five or six came from before.

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