Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 812: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the amount spent by his Department on opinion polling and focus group research in each of the years 2007 to 2010, inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1169/11]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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There was expenditure on two such groups in 2007 and 2008, the details of which are shown in the following table.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 813: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of mobile telephones paid for by public bodies under his remit in the years 2006 to 2010, inclusive; the total cost of paying mobile telephone bills in each of those years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1184/11]

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 814: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of mobile telephones paid for by his Department in the years 2006 to 2010, inclusive; the total cost of paying mobile telephone bills in each of those years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1199/11]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 813 and 814 together.

I can inform the Deputy that the number of mobile telephones paid for by the relevant public bodies under the remit of my Department and the total cost of mobile telephone bills for these bodies is a day to day operational matter for the bodies concerned.

My Department currently has 53 mobile phones and 47 Blackberry data devices in use. Under the terms of our contracts for the supply of mobile telephone and data services, handsets are provided free of charge for new accounts or on upgrades. While occasionally a handset will be paid for, the staff time involved in disaggregating this small element of overall costs cannot be justified.

The following table gives details of the cost of mobile telephone and data bills for the various years: