Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 132: To ask the Taoiseach 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. [15297/08]

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has engaged in the following advertising campaigns for each of the past five years.

(1) The Taskforce on Active Citizenship

The Taskforce on Active Citizenship was established in April 2006 under the Department of the Taoiseach. The Taskforce conducted a public consultation process during 2006 and presented a set of recommendations to Government in March 2007, which included proposals to improve policies that promote a continued sense of community and greater engagement with civic and democratic processes. The overall cost to the Exchequer was €275,000 in 2006 and €112,000 in 2007. Expenditure relating to the advertising campaign undertaken to promote the consultations, including PR consultancy, is broken down as follows:

(2) Protocol Division

The Protocol Division has not carried out any advertising campaigns to promote policies or programmes being implemented by the Department of the Taoiseach. The Division, however, has taken advertisements in the National Newspapers in relation to commemorative events such as the National Day of Commemoration and the 90th Anniversary of the 1916 Rising in 2006. There is also an obligation on the Division to insert notices in the Iris Oifigiúil in respect of Statutory Instruments. The details are outlined in the table below.

(3) Public Service Modernisation Division

Advertising costs have been incurred in the Public Service Modernisation and the Better Regulation Divisions of my Department as follows:

(4) The National Centre for Partnership and Performance (NCPP)

The only advertising campaign the NCPP has carried out in the past five years to promote policies or programmes was the one that formed part of last year's 'OPEN' public awareness campaign in support of the National Workplace Strategy. The National Workplace Strategy is designed to transform Ireland's workplaces by promoting greater levels of workplace change through partnership and innovation. The public awareness campaign is a key component in communicating and promoting the Strategy. The contract for the campaign was awarded following an open public procurement process in accordance with EU tendering regulations.

The details are outlined in the table below.

(5) The Central Statistics Office

Total Expenditure on advertising by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in the years from 2003 to 2007 amounted to just under €1.9m. The annual distribution of this expenditure and the advertising medium used is set out in the tables beneath. The vast bulk of this expenditure — over 94% — relates to two statistical activities, the 2006 Census of Population and the Household Surveys i.e. cyclical Household Budget Survey and the Quarterly National Household Survey. The 2006 Census of Population public awareness and staff recruitment campaigns cost €1.55m. The Census involved the recruitment of approximately 5,000 field and temporary HQ staff, and a public awareness campaign designed to promote the active participation of all people resident in the State on Census night.

The Quarterly National Household Survey, introduced in 1997, provides estimates of employment and unemployment within three months of the end of each quarter. It has also become a key source of statistics on social topics, with the incorporation of different modular topics. It is an on-going survey with respondents being added and removed on a rolling cyclical basis. Respondents participate in the survey for 5 quarters. Each quarter, a percentage of the respondents are replaced by new participants. The survey is conducted by the CSO's permanent field staff and focused local advertising is used to ensure that respondents, in particular new respondents, are aware that an official survey is taking place in their area and the statistical benefits of participation. The remaining expenditure on advertising relates to a variety of items, the main one being the annual cost of the State Directory — "the green pages" — section in telephone directories.

(6) The National Forum on Europe

National Forum On Europe was established by the Government and the political parties in 2001 to facilitate discussion on Ireland's membership of the European Union and to debate the future of Europe. Its members are the political parties and groupings represented in the Oireachtas as well as a Special Observer Pillar of civil society organisations. The Forum does not advocate or promote any particular course of action but provides a neutral space in which all views and analyses can be heard. The Forum has engaged in advertising, primarily to support its programme of meetings, particularly its Plenary meetings in Dublin. This year, the Forum is playing a leading role in facilitating debate in the run-up to the referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon (EU Reform Treaty) to be held in June. It is carrying out an advertising campaign in support of its plenary meetings and a series of public information meetings which it is organising around the country.

(7) Information Society Policy Unit (ISPU)

The ASC (Access, Skills & Content) Initiative was established in 2005 to assist voluntary, community and not-for-profit organisations and service providers to support the participation of late adopters of technology in an inclusive Information Society. The ISPU in my Department advertised 'Calls for Proposals' to be funded through the ASC Initiative each year. This was advertised in the national newspapers and our records indicate that the cost of advertising was as follows:

(8) Government Information Services (GIS)

All costs relate to 2004 and the Irish Presidency of the EU.

(9) Government Secretariat

The Government Secretariat place notifications in Iris Oifigiúil to publicise the making of Government appointments, Government orders and related matters. In many instances, there is a statutory requirement that such notifications be made. The expenditure incurred from 2003-2007 is set out in the table below.