Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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260. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the total cost of marketing for the Ireland 2040 campaign; the details of any payments made to persons to act on behalf of the campaign to promote it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11347/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The development of theIreland 2040 - Our Plan: National Planning Framework (NPF), one of the most strategically important public policy exercises currently underway by the Government, must be collaborative in nature, given that its ultimate success will depend on the degree to which all citizens and stakeholders have the opportunity to have their say on how Ireland should develop over the next twenty years or more, and how we can plan for and accommodate the substantial additional population expected by 2040 in a more strategic and sustainable way. With regard to associated awareness raising and promotion activities, a number of initiatives have been put in place providing both fora and points of contact for feedback. For example, a dedicated website -www.npf.ie - and email address- npf@housing.gov.ie - have been established. The website will be one of the main platforms for ensuring the public can be kept up to date over the life of the Plan and is seen as a long-term investment.

In addition to the standard provision of textual and graphic information to view and download, the website facilitates engagement with the general public through the use of easy to understand video presentations and social media which will be used and re-used throughout the process, bringing down costs. Total expenditure to date in these areas, including promotional material, graphic design and video, is €41,917, of which €1,624 was paid for voice-over work relating to the promotional video. Costs associated with the national and regional public consultation launches are being finalised at present.

The outcome of the public consultation process on Ireland 2040 currently underway will feed into further analysis and evidence-based policy in formulating a draft Framework by the Summer. All efforts are being, and will continue to be, made to ensure that expenditure in connection with engagement on and development of the Plan is kept to the minimum possible, commensurate with the scale and long-term policy nature of the task in hand.