Written answers
Tuesday, 2 October 2018
Department of Rural and Community Development
Departmental Expenditure
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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580. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the cost of his Department's stand at the National Ploughing Championships 2018; the number of staff deployed from his Department for the week; and the cost of same. [40358/18]
Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The National Ploughing Championships (NPC) is one of the largest public outdoor events in Europe, and can see attendances of close to 300,000 each year. It provided the Department of Rural and Community Development in particular, as a Department which was only established in July 2017, with a unique opportunity to communicate with the general public and to let them know who we are as a Department, and more importantly, what we can do for them and their communities.
NPC 2018, in line with the event in 2017, saw the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD) share space with the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (DCHG). The cost of the joint presence is being shared between DRCD and DCHG.
Overall, 30 of my Department’s staff members, ranging from Clerical Officer level to Principal Officer level, worked over the three-day period. Attendance at the event is viewed as part of the normal duties of staff. A number of staff were also scheduled to be deployed on the Wednesday and many had arrived but returned to base, once it became clear that the event was not taking place on the Wednesday.
Any travel and subsistence costs for staff attendance at ploughing will be claimed by staff in line with the standard Civil Service rules and rates.
The Department’s presence was also supported by over 100 staff and volunteers from agencies and bodies funded through the Department.
The table below outlines the costs to date of my Department’s presence at NPC 2018, noting that some invoices are yet to be received. The costs indicated with an ‘S’ below are costs shared with DCHG.
| Actual Costs (* Invoices not yet received, S: Shared Costs) | |
|---|---|
| Marquee Contractor | €122,846*(ex VAT) (S) |
| Catering | €2,575.94 (S) |
| Eir (Broadband etc) | €3,000.00* (S) |
| NPA Site Costs | €12,927.67 (S) |
| Staff and Volunteer Passes | €2,880.00 |
| Merchandise | €9,596.36 |
| DRCD Departmental Booklet | €2,330.85 |
| Graphics (Design and Print) | €4,218.00 |
| Courier | €1,000.00* (S) |
| Staff Transport (Bus Hire) | €1,950.00* (S) |
| Total | €163,324.82 |
Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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581. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the communications, press and public relations budget allocated to her Department for 2018; the way in which it is being spent; if it is behind or ahead of profile; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39371/18]
Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Customer Communications and Advertising Activity budget for 2018 is €1,350,000.
This budget covers all planned external communications and public information campaigns. It is also used for the development of customer information guides, customer event, reports, videos, documents, posters and other visual material for use by the Department in its engagements with customers and stakeholders. The Department also uses the budget to produce content in a range of accessible formats including plain English, Irish Sign Language and braille.
As of the end of August 2018, spend under this budget was behind profile.
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