Written answers

Tuesday, 15 January 2019

Department of An Taoiseach

Departmental Expenditure

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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114. To ask the Taoiseach the budget and spend in his Department for marketing, media and social media in each of the years 2016 to 2018; and the projected spend for 2019. [54471/18]

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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115. To ask the Taoiseach the number of staff in his Department employed to work on marketing, media and social media in 2018. [54488/18]

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 114 and 115 together.

The following table shows spend on the purchase of space in various media, along with creative work.

The spend includes a number of major cross-Government public information programmes aimed at improving citizens' lives that the Department funded centrally during 2018. Examples of these include the Healthy Ireland campaign, which encourages people to take small steps to improve their health or the Self-Employed benefits campaign, which highlights the range of resources and supports available to those who are self-employed.

Project Ireland 2040 and Global Ireland are also included in this spend. Additionally, it includes communications about recruitment and consultations regarding Government policy.

Over 90% of this expense was incurred prior to July 2018, due to information campaigns being run centrally. Following a budget cut of €2.5m in mid 2018, public information campaigns are now largely funded by the relevant line Department, as opposed to being funded centrally from this Department. As a result, spend for 2019 will be significantly less.

Please note that Digital space as outlined in the table includes the following:

1) Ensuring the public is directed via search engines to the sites that deliver the services/information they are looking for; and

2) Sponsored posts on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, to ensure strong dissemination of Government information.

GIS is the team with responsibility for communications in my Department. The GIS team has a number of responsibilities including:

- Delivery of a Government-wide communications reform programme

- Running the Government Press Office

- Maintaining Government websites and digital media channels.

There are 17 posts in GIS.

2016
2017
2018
Purchase of space in various media (print cinema, radio etc) along with creative production
10,628.67
71,365.45
1,830,232.65
Of which Digital Space
0
0
437347.5

It should be noted that the figure provided for 2018 is based on provisional outturn and may be subject to revision, as part of the finalisation of my Department's 2018 Appropriation Account.

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