Written answers

Thursday, 5 June 2008

Department of Foreign Affairs

Departmental Advertising

3:00 pm

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 121: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs 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. [22349/08]

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 122: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs 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. [22363/08]

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 123: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs 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. [22376/08]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 121 to 123, inclusive, together.

Advertising undertaken by my Department in Ireland typically includes advisory notices on public opening hours over holiday periods and public information notices relating to changes in passport application procedures and fees. While much of this material is now placed on the Department's website, advertising continues to be necessary in order to reach all of our customers, particularly in relation to important passport and consular services.

In addition to this routine advertising, this year the Department is undertaking a significant public information campaign in relation to the Lisbon Treaty, as well as a number of smaller campaigns in relation to the Irish Aid programme.

The Department's total budget for the Lisbon Reform Treaty Information Campaign is €800,000. The bulk of expenditure to date relates to the design, translation, printing and distribution of information material including:

An explanatory pamphlet;

A guide to the Treaty which was published on 13 February and distributed to households in April;

The White Paper, which was published in April.

Other areas of expenditure in this campaign include maintenance of the dedicated website www.reformtreaty.ie , newspaper advertisements relating to the availability of information and the production of Braille and audio versions of the explanatory pamphlet.

In 2008, the advertising budget for Irish Aid, the Division of my Department responsible for managing the official development assistance programme, is €500,000. €300,000 of this has been allocated for use in routine advertising such as recruitment to Irish Aid and volunteer positions, the placement of tender notices and information relating to grant application procedures. The remaining €200,000 has been allocated for use in public information campaigns, such as those around the opening of the Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre, World AIDS Day (1 December) and Africa Day (25 May).

The information campaign in January and February 2008 relating to the opening of the Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre cost €59,941. The advertising campaign for Africa Day, which was largely newspaper based, informed the public of free events taking place across the country. While final costs are still being assembled, the cost of newspaper advertising for the campaign was €45,584. Public information campaigns, such as those around World AIDS Day and the opening of the Centre, raise awareness of overseas development challenges and highlight the Government's commitment to overseas development.

With regard to the four bodies under the aegis of my Department, three of these have a research and advisory function, namely; the Advisory Board for Irish Aid, the Hunger Task Force and the Development Education Advisory Committee, and have no budget for advertising.

While the Fulbright Commission comes under the aegis of my Department and, as Minister, I have certain specific statutory responsibilities towards it, the Fulbright Commission enjoys 'autonomy of management and administration', under the Educational Exchange (Ireland and the United States of America), Act, 1991.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.