Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 276: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if his Department has carried out an advertising campaign to promote policies or programmes being implemented by his Department; the campaign or relevant programme; the cost of advertising in publications, broadcast advertising, outdoor advertising and any consultancy or production costs for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15296/08]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department uses a mix of advertising media including national and provincial newspapers, radio and television, information leaflets, fact sheets, posters and direct mailshots to ensure that people are aware of their social welfare entitlements and are notified about improvements and changes affecting their payments and services. The amount spent on advertising in any one year is determined by the number of specific advertising campaigns which are undertaken. The total amount spent by my Department on advertising in 2003 was €287,000. Most of the advertising expenditure in 2003 arose in connection with general advertising regarding holiday arrangements, staff vacancies and so on at local or branch offices, and the Budget information campaign.

Advertising expenditure in 2004 was €475,000. Two information campaigns were undertaken. The first campaign promoted the Carer's Benefit scheme and the second campaign alerted people coming up to pension age that they should apply for their pension at least three months before they reach pension age. The total amount spent on advertising in 2005 was over €300,000. In this year a major information campaign was undertaken on the Respite Care Grant scheme. In 2006 a total of €997,000 was spent on advertising. The principle element of the expenditure incurred related to the Family Income Supplement and Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit and Respite Care Grant entitlements awareness campaigns.

In 2007 the total cost of advertising was €1,413,000. The main advertising campaigns related to the introduction of the All Ireland Free Travel scheme, the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme and the new Half-Rate Carer's Allowance. In 2008 the cost of advertising to date has been €330,000. Advertisements have been placed in relation to staff vacancies and inviting submissions and input from the public in relation to the Green Paper on Pensions, on the development of a National Carers' Strategy and on the development of my Department's Customer Action Plan and Customer Charter.

The costs associated with each year are outlined in the table. There is a Government contract for all newspaper advertising and any production costs are included in the figures given. Broadcast media is tendered for separately and any production costs in relation to TV and radio are also included in the figures given. Advertising is a key part of my Department's information strategy to ensure that people are aware of and claim their social welfare entitlements.