Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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142. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the total external public relation costs incurred by his Department in 2011, 2012, 2013 and estimated in 2014. [17373/14]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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For the period referred to by the Deputy, my Department has not incurred expenditure on external public relations and communications services. From time to time, consultants or companies with a public relations and communications background are commissioned to provide other professional services such as project management, logistics and event management. DHR Communications has been contracted since 2010 to manage and administer the Simon Cumbers Media Fund (SCMF) grants scheme. This involves managing two funding rounds each year, including through national and regional information workshops; managing and administering the application process; organising the judging process and providing detailed feedback to all applicants; processing grant payments and keeping detailed administrative and financial records; maintaining and updating the SCMF website and managing the SCMF student competition. DHR was awarded a two-year contract to 2012 and was re-engaged in February 2012 for a further two years following a competitive tendering process, which includes a one-year extension my Department intends to take up. As a result costs will remain consistent for 2014. Following a competitive tendering process, DHR has also been engaged to plan, manage and execute a national Africa Day flagship event in Dublin. This includes the administration of a small grants scheme for regional events which DHR managed on behalf of the Department in partnership with a number of local authorities. DHR also worked to raise public awareness of the Africa Day events, including through the use of social media and the Africa Day website. This work represented a very minor element of the project and was conducted in close cooperation with my Department’s communications office. DHR has also been engaged for Africa Day 2014 and costs are expected to be similar to 2013.

Africa Day Family Days, incorporating musical entertainment, cultural activities and an African Bazaar, were hosted by the Department in Iveagh Gardens in 2009 and 2010, in CHQ in Georges Dock in 2012 and at Farmleigh Estate in 2013. In 2011, the Department supported a smaller-scale series of performances, family events, art exhibitions, debates and educational activities instead of hosting a flagship event. The fees and expenses set out below reflect the expense and management cost involved in hosting a flagship event for Africa Day other than with regard to 2011.

DHR also provided short-term management support services for the Review of the White Paper on Irish Aid, including the logistical management of the nationwide public consultation activities.

It should be noted that expenses paid to third parties account for approximately 30% of the total paid to DHR for managing and administering the Simon Cumbers Media Fund. This includes costs associated with maintaining and updating the SCMF website, facilitating the judging process and raising awareness of the Fund among journalists.

In relation to the expenditure on Africa Day in 2012 and 2013, expenses paid to third parties accounted for between 70% and 80% of the total costs listed below. This included expenditure on security, sanitation, venue set-up, health and safety issues and small grants to facilitate the participation of community groups.

In relation to the White Paper Review, third-party expenses accounted for approximately 32% of the total costs. This includes expenditure on venue hire and the organisation and documentation of six public consultation meetings.

The table below sets out the use of DHR engaged by my Department’s Development Cooperation Division since March 2011.

Project and Event Management 9 March 2011 to date