Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 629: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the amount spent by his Department on opinion polling and focus group research in each of the years 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1176/11]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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In 2008, my Department placed a number of questions in Lansdowne Market Research's regular omnibus survey of 1,000 adults throughout the country. The surveys took place from 21 February 2008 to 6 March 2008 and from 2 December 2008 to 24 December 2008. The questions explored the public's attitude to a number of development issues. The amount spent was €14,000. This was part of the Department's awareness campaign to highlight the opening of the new Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre on O'Connell Street. In July 2008, my Department commissioned, by way of tender, substantial research in order to clarify the reasons underlying the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty in June 2008 and to provide information on public attitudes toward the European Union. This research, based on a national opinion poll of 2,101 adults and twelve focus groups conducted with a cross section of voter types and demographic groupings, was carried out by Millward Brown IMS at a cost of €138,061. The findings are available on my Department's website.

In light of the 'Yes' vote in the second Lisbon referendum in October 2009 – and using the 2008 research as a benchmark – my Department commissioned, by way of tender, a follow-up survey in November 2009 in order to provide a basis for identifying the lessons learned from the two referendum campaigns. This consisted of a national opinion poll of 1,002 adults, carried out by Millward Brown Lansdowne at a cost of €30,254. The findings are available on my Department's website. No opinion polling or focus group research was carried out in 2007 or 2010.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 630: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of mobile telephones paid for by public bodies under his remit in each of the years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010; the total cost of paying mobile telephone bills in each of those years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1191/11]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There are four bodies operating under the aegis of my Department - the Development Education Advisory Committee (DEAC); the Government Emigrant Services Advisory Committee; the Irish Aid Expert Advisory Group; and The Board of the Ireland-United States Commission for Educational Exchange (the Fulbright Commission). The three advisory committees, the administration of which are serviced directly by my Department, do not have independent budgets. Therefore the provision of mobiles phones by the bodies does not arise. The Board of the Ireland-United States Commission for Educational Exchange is jointly financed by the Irish and US Governments and enjoys autonomy of management and administration, in accordance with the Educational Exchange (Ireland and the United States of America) Act, 1991.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 631: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of mobile telephones paid for by his Department in each of the years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010; the total cost of paying mobile telephone bills in each of those years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1206/11]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Department avails of the Mobile Telephony Services Framework operated by the Department of Finance. (Under this Framework, O2 were awarded the contract from October 2008 and again from May 2010. The contract was previously held by Vodafone under the Department of Finance contract.). The table below sets out details of the number of mobile phones and bills paid for by the Department of Foreign Affairs under these contracts during the period 2006 and 2010.