Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 115: To ask the Minister for Transport if agencies, boards, quangos or other bodies within the remit of his Department have carried out advertising campaigns to promote policies or programmes being implemented by those agencies or by his Department in the years 2005, 2006 and 2007; the campaign or relevant programme; the cost of advertising in publications, broadcast advertising, online advertising, outdoor advertising, and other forms of advertising as well as consultancy or production costs for each of these years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22353/08]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 116: To ask the Minister for Transport if agencies, boards, quangos or other bodies within the remit of his Department have carried out or will carry out advertising campaigns to promote policies or programmes being implemented by those agencies or by his Department in the course of 2008; the campaign or relevant programme; the cost of advertising in publications, broadcast advertising, online advertising, outdoor advertising and other forms of advertising as well as consultancy or production costs to date in 2008; the anticipated cost by the end of 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22367/08]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 117: To ask the Minister for Transport if his Department has in the year to date or intends by year end to carry out any advertising campaigns to promote policies or programmes being implemented by his Department; the details of those campaigns; the costs of advertising in publications, broadcast advertising, outdoor advertising and any consultancy or production costs incurred in the year to date, the costs that are expected to be incurred by year's end; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22380/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 115 to 117, inclusive, together.

In February 2008 I launched a public consultation process on a proposed Sustainable Travel and Transport Action Plan. The cost of advertisements in the printed media amounted to €155,974. The consultation process ended on 13 May 2008.

Recent market research undertaken on behalf of my Department indicated that awareness levels of Transport 21 among the general public are low. Therefore, as part of a wider information and communications strategy and following a public procurement process, my Department engaged the services of consultants to undertake a media advertising campaign to raise public awareness of Transport 21.

The campaign involves television, radio, press and outdoor advertising and I envisage that it will be necessary to continue to provide information and awareness to the public and all interested parties for the duration of Transport 21. The budget allocated for the advertising campaign for 2008 is €2.9 million. To date, €244,345.50 of this has been paid by the Department. The consultants have been engaged for a three-year period and further campaigns are planned for 2009 and 2010. The overall objective of the campaign is to make the general public aware of the projects and programmes contained in Transport 21 and the benefits that will accrue from their implementation.

My Department has over-arching responsibility as "Managing Authority" under EU rules for the effective management of the EU-assisted infrastructure elements (national roads, public transport, waste water, sustainable energy) of the Economic and Social Infrastructure Operational Programme (ESIOP) 2000-2006. The end date for incurring expenditure on the EU-assisted elements is 31st December, 2008.

While the management of this Programme includes responsibility for ensuring compliance with EU regulations on publicity requirements in relation to projects in receipt of EU Structural Fund assistance under the Programme, the implementation and funding of the EU publicity requirements is a matter for the agencies and bodies which have responsibility for delivery of the infrastructure projects concerned. No such advertising or publicity costs are borne by or attributable to the Department of Transport.

Advertising required under Section 8 of the Roads Act 2007 to redesignate dual carriageways to motorways in order to facilitate faster journey times, protection of investment in roads infrastructure, improvements in road safety and rationalisation of speed limits, has amounted to €37,704 so far this year and is estimated to cost €95,000 by the end of the year.

Advertising by the Irish Coast Guard in relation to the "Safety on the water" campaign has cost €75,000 so far this year and is estimated to cost €230,000 by the end of the year. An advertising campaign by the Marine Survey Office publicising a Safety Regulations Seminar in the printed media cost €968.

Advertising or promotional programmes undertaken by agencies or bodies under the aegis of my Department are undertaken by them in the exercise of their statutory functions. This is a day to day matter for those bodies.