Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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684. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount spent by her Department on public relations advice and media advice since January 2020 to date in 2021; and the companies engaged for this advice in tabular form. [22281/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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There has been no expenditure by the Department in the area of public relations advice or media advice in 2020 or to date in 2021.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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685. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount spent by her Department on advertising and public messaging in print, broadcast and online since January 2020 to date in 2021; and the companies engaged to assist with placing the advertisements and the companies advertised with in tabular form. [22299/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department administers over 90 separate schemes and services, which affect the lives of almost every person in the State. The Department is committed to ensuring that members of the public are fully aware of the welfare supports and services that are available to them and public information campaigns are an important part of this work. 

The total public information campaign advertising spend for 2020 and to date in 2021 is outlined in tabular form below, with a breakdown of spend per media channel for each year.  These figures also include advertising spend paid for from the direct budgets of the Low Pay Commission (in 2020) and the Pensions Commission (in 2021) but booked by the Department.  The below figures do not include VAT, creative costs, or other agency fees.

The Department works with a media buying agency, appointed under an OGP framework, in order to plan and buy advertising effectively and has engaged two companies in the planning and placement of advertisements during 2020 and 2021: MEC/Wavemaker Global and Mediavest Ltd. t/a Sparkfoundry.

All public information campaigns are developed and targeted carefully in collaboration with our media buyer using the best mix of media formats to ensure that the Department’s messages reach members of the public effectively, while ensuring value for money. 

Advertising in 2020 and 2021 included national and regional print publications, national and regional radio, as well as targeted digital and social media advertising. The companies advertised with throughout 2020 and 2021 are listed in the following table.

Print Advertising