Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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156. To ask the Minister for Social Protection to provide in tabular form, broken down per annum, the use of external public relations firms by his Department since he came into office; the external public relations firms used; to outline the internal departmental policy on employing external groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20397/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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It is the policy of the Department of Social Protection that its Press Office deals with all media queries and public relations matters. My Department’s policy is to use in-house resources as much as possible and to restrict the use of external public relations firms to a minimum. Since my appointment as Minister for Social Protection on 6 May this year, my Department has not employed any external public relations firms.