Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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310. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if his Department has applied for permission to engage outside public relations companies for the purposes of disseminating Government policy; the cost of each contract entered into; the name of the contractors; the duration of the contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31674/16]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I can confirm that my Department has not applied for permission to engage outside public relations companies for the purposes of disseminating government policy in the period from January 2015 to the present.

My Department is always mindful of the costs involved in engaging consultants. External consultants are engaged only when there is a clear need for specialised expertise and following a rigorous examination of skills and resources available in-house.