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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 11 together.

A decision was taken in 2017 to fund and run cross-governmental public information programmes centrally. As a result of this, in the period between the fourth quarter of 2017 and July 2018, several public information campaigns aimed at improving citizens' lives, such as the Healthy Ireland campaign, the Project Ireland 2040 campaign and the self-employed benefits campaign, were run and funded centrally by the Department of the Taoiseach. This was a departure in approach from previous years, when such campaigns were led and funded by the relevant line Department. The amount spent on these campaigns in 2018 was €1.8 million. Included in this figure is the spend on the purchase of space in various media, including print, digital, cinema and radio, as well as creative production.

This is greater than the amount spent between 2011 and 2017 but it is not a like-for-like comparison. That is precisely because of the decision to change the approach and to centralise such spending. Over 90% of spending in 2018 was incurred in the first part of the year prior to July 2018 as campaigns were being run and funded centrally during that time. Following a budget cut of €2.5 million in mid-2018, public information campaigns are now funded by the relevant line Department, as opposed to being funded centrally by my Department. This is a reversion to the former practice under previous Governments.

Spending on communications in my Department from 2011 to 2017, inclusive, varied significantly year on year, from a low of approximately €6,000 in 2014 to €580,000 in 2012 and €100,000 in 2011. That figure for 2011 includes expenses associated with the management of logistics for public attendance at the visit of President Obama and the National Day of Commemoration. The figure for 2012 includes a public information campaign on the fiscal stability treaty. Given the change of approach to the funding of campaigns, it is not intended to fund large campaigns from my Department in 2019.

Spending for 2019, therefore, will be significantly lower than that for 2018 and will be sourced from the administration budget of my Department. It is not possible to give an indicative figure as to what the outlay will be as this will depend on factors such as whether there are any significant inward State visits and if events, such as the outcome of the Brexit negotiations for example, require some additional expenditure on communication.

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