Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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540. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount of funding allocated by her Department to the Covid-19 communications strategy since the beginning of the pandemic; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4762/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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For the purposes of the response, we have interpreted the question regarding the ‘amount of funding allocated’ on ‘COVID-19 communications strategy’ to include the cost of advertising and related creative/design expenditure incurred in 2020 and 2021.

In total, the Department delivered 18 public information campaigns related to COVID-19 during 2020. The aim of these campaigns was to increase public awareness of the available income supports and related Department services, and to provide important information and updates on these income supports which were extended and evolved in response to the pandemic. Advertising included national and regional print and radio, as well as targeted digital and social media advertising.

The full year cost of public information campaigns in 2020 is outlined below.

To date in 2021, the Department has delivered 2 further public information campaigns in response to the introduction of Level 5 restrictions and a sharp rise in the numbers of COVID-19 infections. The budgeted costs of these two campaigns are outlined below, but these campaigns have not yet been invoiced so costs are not final.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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541. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount of funding spent by her Department on the Covid-19 communications strategy since the beginning of the pandemic; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4773/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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For the purposes of the response, we have interpreted the question regarding the ‘amount of funding allocated’ on ‘COVID-19 communications strategy’ to include the cost of advertising and related creative/design expenditure incurred in 2020 and 2021.

In total, the Department delivered 18 public information campaigns related to COVID-19 during 2020. The aim of these campaigns was to increase public awareness of the available income supports and related Department services, and to provide important information and updates on these income supports which were extended and evolved in response to the pandemic. Advertising included national and regional print and radio, as well as targeted digital and social media advertising.

The full year cost of public information campaigns in 2020 is outlined below.

To date in 2021, the Department has delivered 2 further public information campaigns in response to the introduction of Level 5 restrictions and a sharp rise in the numbers of COVID-19 infections. The The budgeted costs of these two campaigns are outlined below, but are not yet invoiced or final.