Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is the core point. I asked about the costs of the video for the UN Security Council campaign. Perhaps the Taoiseach would comment on the cost and necessity of that. The issue is to try to differentiate between Government spend, party spend and party promotion. Unfortunately, many of the campaigns the Taoiseach has spoken of - even Creative Ireland and others like it - have not been demarcated rigidly enough with regard to public service announcements and party political campaigning. Photographs will emerge in campaigns, for example about Creative Ireland, when Ministers have to turn up when they are to discuss literature, arts or whatever.

There will always be a bit of it, but it is done to excess. On the two funds that were announced recently for urban and rural Ireland, while no-one has any issue with funding projects, they risk the application of the appellation "political slush fund" if they turn out to be juxtaposed or used as part of a party political campaign as well as promoting candidates and so on around the place. The original problem with the strategic communications unit was the utilisation of taxpayers' money to promote party campaigns. That is the issue that needs to be guarded against. I would appreciate a comment on the cost of the Security Council video.

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