Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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302. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the amount he spent on media clipping and media monitoring services in each calendar year from 2011 to 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3826/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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My Department has not subscribed to external media clipping or media monitoring services during the period to which the Deputy refers.My Department and Ireland’s network of 80 Diplomatic, Consular and other offices overseas perform a wide range of functions in pursuit of Ireland’s foreign policy interests. These include representing and advancing government policies internationally, in particular at EU and UN levels; economic, trade and cultural promotion; frontline consular services; engaging with Irish diaspora communities; and programme management, particularly in Irish Aid priority countries.

This work necessitates electronic access to the most up to date international and national news. My Department has used online news aggregation in order to be able to search for and access relevant current and past online news.

The total amounts spent on online news aggregation services over the 2011-2015 period were: