Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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1640. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the total cost of all media advertising to his Department for each of the past five years; the efforts his Department is making to ensure that local media, both print and radio, are being supported as well as national media by his Department's budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37485/13]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The information requested by the Deputy is available from my Department's website at the following link . The information at this link is updated regularly. 

In view of the current serious economic climate,  it is the policy of my Department that advertising/promotions in the national press or other print or radio media, other than in exceptional circumstances,  are only undertaken where there is a statutory requirement to do so. In all other cases, publications and advertising are conducted online, mainly through the Department's website.

Where there is a Statutory requirement for media advertisement, this is done in whichever is the the most approriate media, local or national, given the purpose of the advertisement.

The Department's objective in doing any promotions or advertising is to get a particular message out to a particular cohort of citizens rather then to support the media per se.