Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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167. To ask the Taoiseach if he will provide in tabular form the total photography costs for his Department since coming to office, inclusive of costs incurred from use of the ministerial allowance; the list of occasions for which photographers were booked; the photographers used; the breakdown of costs associated with each occasion that a photographer was used; if there is a policy regarding the booking of photographers within his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2254/14]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The total expenditure by my Department on photography from 9th March 2011 to date is provided in the table below:

My Department ran a competitive tender for the provision of host photography services for major events during Ireland's EU Presidency in 2013. The tender was awarded to Mac Innes Photography Ltd. Increasingly my Department utilises its own staff to take photographs in-house, thereby reducing costs.

Photography costs in my Department have reduced from €83,398 in 2008 to €13,448 in 2012 and €4,898 in 2013 - excluding EU Presidency photography costs. The use of local photographers on international trade missions is required to distribute images to the domestic media to accompany the coverage of domestic journalists who are travelling on behalf of their organisations. Utilising local agencies is cost efficient and costs are kept to a minimum.

The table below lists the occasions for which photographers where used and costs associated with each occasion:

Photography Costs from 9th March 2011 to December 2013

*€40,052 of the 2013 expenditure relates to EU Presidency.