Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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54. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 61 of 27 September 2018, the details of the projects, logistics and events that companies with a public relations and communication background have been commissioned by his Department to provide professional services for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40481/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Further to my reply to Question No. 61 of 27 September, I confirm that my Department has not incurred expenditure on external public relations or communications advice in 2018. My Department has from time to time commissioned companies with a public relations and communications background to provide other professional services such as project management, logistics and event management, particularly in relation to Irish Aid public outreach activities.

In 2018, DHR Communications has been contracted via separate competitive tendering processes to manage and administer grants to journalists reporting on international development issues under the Simon Cumbers Media Fund (SCMF) and to manage and administer Africa Day-related events.

The SCMF involves managing three funding rounds each year, including the annual SCMF student competition. This typically involves the following activities:

- Convening national and regional information workshops;

- Managing and administering the application process;

- Organising the judging process

- Providing detailed feedback to all applicants;

- Processing grant payments and keeping detailed administrative and financial records;

- Maintaining and updating the SCMF website.

It should be noted that expenses paid to third parties at this stage account for approximately 30% of the total paid to DHR for managing and administering the Simon Cumbers Media Fund. This includes costs associated with maintaining and updating the SCMF website, facilitating the judging process and raising awareness of the Fund among journalists.

In relation to Africa Day 2018, DHR was engaged to plan, manage and execute a national flagship event as hosted by my Department at the Farmleigh Estate on Sunday 27 May. DHR worked to raise public awareness of the event, including through the use of social media and the Africa Day website. This public awareness work was conducted in close cooperation with my Department’s Communications Unit.

In relation to the expenditure on Africa Day, expenses paid to third parties accounted for between 70% and 80% of the total costs involved. This included expenditure on security, sanitation, venue set-up, health and safety issues and small grants to facilitate the participation of community groups.

Details of project management, logistics and event management-related expenditure to date during 2018 for the Simon Cumbers Media Fund and Africa Day are as follows:

Project Management, Logistics and Event Management Expenditure 2018