Dáil debates
Wednesday, 12 July 2023
Ceisteanna - Questions
Departmental Advertising
1:07 pm
Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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1. To ask the Taoiseach how much his Department has spent on public relations in each of the past ten years, and to date in 2023. [32080/23]
Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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2. To ask the Taoiseach the amount spent on advertising with RTÉ by his Department in each of the past ten years, and to date in 2023. [33643/23]
Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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3. To ask the Taoiseach the amount spent on advertising with RTÉ by his Department in each of the past ten years, and to date in 2023. [34008/23]
Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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4. To ask the Taoiseach the amount spent on advertising with RTÉ by his Department in each of the past ten years, and to date in 2023. [34010/23]
Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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5. To ask the Taoiseach how much his Department has spent on public relations in each of the past ten years and to date in 2023. [34012/23]
Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together.
In the past ten years, the Department of the Taoiseach has incurred expenditure of €3.7 million on advertising with RTÉ. The bulk of this expenditure relates to Government Information Service, GIS, campaigns in 2020 and 2021. All expenditure is placed through a media buying company procured through an Office of Government Procurement framework. The role of the contracted media buying company is to ensure value for money and the most appropriate media is used to reach the maximum target groups.
The current media buying company has confirmed it has never used barter accounts for any Government business.
As set out in the table, most of the advertising placed with RTÉ was in the period since 2020 for the dissemination of information related to Covid-19. Public information campaigns played a vital role in communicating the various strands of the pandemic, including the supports made available by Government.
| RTÉ Advertising Expenditure | |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Nil |
| 2014 | Nil |
| 2015 | Nil |
| 2016 | Nil |
| 2017 | Nil |
| 2018 | €86,486 |
| 2019 | Nil |
| 2020 | €2,185,958 |
| 2021 | €1,376,870 |
| 2022 | €85,160 |
| 2023 | Nil |
Advertising expenditure with RTÉ was nil for the years 2013 through 2017 and in 2019. In 2018, there was a spend of just over €86,000, while in 2020 it was just over €2.1 million. In 2021, it was €1.3 million. The spend fell to €85,000 last year and there has been no advertising spending with RTÉ this year.
The Department had no expenditure on departmental public relations in the past ten years, with the exception of public relations and communications services for the data summit held in June 2017 at a cost of €30,750. The citizens’ assemblies, which are staffed by the Department, have incurred expenditure of €275,293.40 since 2017 on public relations. Its remit includes raising public awareness of the assemblies' work and supporting communication and media outreach.
1:17 pm
Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I do not have a problem with the Government spending money on genuine public service information with the national broadcaster. As an aside, there is a need, however, to address as a matter of urgency the more general issue of the impact of commercial and advertising on the controversies that have unfolded in RTÉ. It was notable, although not entirely credible, that Noel Kelly was, in essence, trying to excuse a lot of the goings-on over the pay stuff relating to the commercial relationship with RTÉ. That is a matter that has to be investigated and it links to the wider issue of the funding of RTÉ not being dependent on commercial and advertising, which can impact on its public service remit.
This is the question I really want to ask, however. The State rightly spent money on Covid information during that period. I put it to the Taoiseach that, as I have stated at several forums, the biggest issue facing the country is the housing and homelessness crisis and the options and so on, or the lack of options in many cases, that are available to people for the different manifestations of that crisis. There should be a dedicated one-stop-shop portal to make clear to people who are facing homelessness, for example, what is available in terms of affordable, cost rental and other supports for when people are in a difficult situation. That would be a useful form of public or Government information statements to highlight what assistance, schemes and supports are available to people who find themselves in emergency or difficult situations as a result of the housing crisis. Very often, such people are desperate and do not have a clue where to go to look for assistance when they are in a dire situation.
Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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One of the things that emerged from the committee hearings yesterday was the central and important role of Renault as a key commercial sponsor and partner for RTÉ. If one adds in all the other car companies, as well as the other fossil fuel companies, be they airlines or fossil fuel companies directly, that advertise with RTÉ, it must make up a large proportion of the advertising on RTÉ and across the media generally. Does that not now pose a question on the need to take action, as was taken in respect of tobacco, and ban fossil fuel advertising? These companies are not advertising for the sake of our health. The consequence of their advertising, which works and gets people to use more of these products, is bad for health. Close to 9 million people every year die from air pollution linked to fossil fuels. That is more people than die from tobacco-related disease yearly. Most significant is the impact of this in the context of the future of the planet. In recent weeks, several records have been broken in terms of the hottest day on record. We are facing the symptoms of ecological collapse and can see them all around us. That is being driven by these fossil fuel companies. Is it not time to ban fossil fuel advertising? I and my colleagues are today submitting a Bill to the Bills Office to do precisely that. I invite the Taoiseach to think about it. I hope he will support the Bill when it comes up for debate.
Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Obviously, we are asking questions on what his Department is spending on advertising with RTÉ. There are wider questions for RTÉ but, on some level, that has been done to death, without getting hold of the answers we require in the context of providing the new trust that we hope to find. All present know the importance of public sector broadcasting, however. Are there plans to deal with the issue relating to certain processed foods and all the rest? A holistic approach is needed. The sugar tax and so on were introduced but this issue relates particularly to younger people and obesity. A cross-departmental and multi-agency approach is needed to come up with something that will work. The health of citizens is in question.
Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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On the points raised by Deputy Boyd Barrett, we spend money on public information campaigns around housing and homelessness and are going to spend more on them. There are a lot of Government schemes available to help people with housing but people are not always aware of them. It will not be done through my Department but, rather, is being done through the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. There is information relating to the help-to-buy scheme, for example, to make people aware they can claim back three years of income tax to help them towards a deposit. There has been and will be advertising in around the first home scheme, which helps people to bridge the gap between the mortgage they can get and the property they want to buy, and around the local authority home loans to help people get a loan if they cannot get a mortgage from the bank. There is a public relations campaign planned around the Croí Cónaithe grants to encourage people to take up those grants to renovate old residential buildings and bring them back into use. Of course, there is the tenantin situscheme, housing assistance payment and other options, as well as cost rental. The basic point that there are a lot of different schemes and options but people may not be aware of them as they might be is accepted. We want to send information on that.
Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Could that include people who do not tick those boxes but need help and a place to go? There are people who do not fit into these categories. I welcome the proposal but-----
Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I am sure we can. Certainly in my constituency service, we try to help people directly-----
Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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So do I.
Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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-----but where we cannot do so, we often advocate going to the local authority or a body such as Threshold. That can be very helpful to people in terms of giving them the advice they need. We can certainly take that into consideration.
As regards Renault, we do not have any plans to ban fossil fuel advertising. We will certainly consider any Private Members' legislation that comes before Cabinet. We always do so. At the moment, there are many people who do not have a choice other than to use fossil fuels because they have an oil burner or gas heating or cannot yet afford an electric vehicle. There are many people who do not have much choice other than to use fossil fuels. It could be argued that advertising at least gives them information on what options are available and what price offers might be available. It does not necessarily encourage them to use more fossil fuel but that is often the argument made for and against advertising bans, as the Deputy well knows. As regards car manufacturers, they produce electric vehicles as well. We are seeing a big take-off in the number of new electric vehicles being bought and that is very encouraging. I appreciate that electric vehicles are powered by electricity which is half produced by fossil fuels but, again, that is changing over time and I think we will reach the target of 80% renewables or better by 2030.
I missed part of Deputy Ó Murchú's question.
Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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It relates to advertising, although that is only part of it.
It is looking at how we advertise processed foods, and whatever else. A sugar tax was introduced and I know that will be reviewed but it is as part of the holistic nature of dealing with childhood obesity in particular. I was probably clearer when I said it the first time.
1:27 pm
Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I do not know as much about this as I used to know when I was the Minister for Health. There are existing restrictions on the advertising of unhealthy foods, for the want of a better term. I acknowledge that not all processed foods are unhealthy, as the Deputy does, but there are rules around advertising at certain times and it being targeted to children. I am not up to date on what those rules are but I will certainly take it into consideration.