Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection the total amount of money spent on printing costs by her Department on explanatory materials leaflets and so on setting out changes to social welfare benefits since December 2011; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38911/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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My Department does not rely solely on printed material to communicate information about social welfare schemes or changes to schemes. All relevant information is published on the Department’s website www.welfare.ie and updated regularly. During 2012 specific information campaigns were undertaken to inform customers of changes to State pension (contributory), State pension (transition), widow(er)’s and surviving civil partner’s contributory pension, national fuel scheme, back to school clothing and footwear allowance and jobseeker’s benefit. These campaigns involved briefings for customer representative groups and the publication of Frequently Asked Questions, drafted in consultation with the representative groups. This information was also made available through the Citizens Information Board website and Twitter.

The Information Leaflets listed have been printed to date in 2012.

In addition, two “mailshots” to customers were carried out in relation to One-Parent Family Payment. These mailshots related in part to changes in social welfare payments but also covered other purposes:

Finally, the following forms were printed either due to social welfare changes or were due for reprint in the normal course of events and also included budget changes:

In summary, (inclusive of VAT) the Total Cost of all three categories above, relating fully or partly to changes in social welfare schemes amounts to: €81,617.65.