Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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202. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he has engaged a third-party company to date in 2021 to conduct online and or social media monitoring and or provide reports on social media coverage of his Department; if so, the cost of same; and the name of the social media platforms being monitored. [25783/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As part of an effective communications and media relations function, my Department is committed to ensuring that public discourse pertaining to the Department's work is understood in order to better inform policy and communications. My Department recently conducted a competitive procurement process to engage a media monitoring service. The contract was awarded to Truehawk Media Ltd. in January 2021 and is valued at €17,021 p.a. Truehawk Media Ltd. conducts monitoring for items relevant to my Department’s remit across print, broadcast and online media. Twitter is the only social media platform monitored by the service.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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203. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if officials in his Department are tasked with conducting online and social media monitoring and completing reports on social media coverage of his Department and his Ministerial activities; if so, the number of staff involved; the respective grades of each; the estimated working hours committed to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25801/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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My Department is committed to providing the highest standard of communications, stakeholder engagement, and open and transparent dialogue in order to inform policy making and enhance our services for citizens. Our communications approach is designed to enhance our reputation and build trust through collaboration and engagement. Social media is a critical tool in achieving these objectives, and we place a high value on ensuring that our social media channels are actively engaged with citizens on issues that are important to them. The Communications and Media Relations Division is responsible for managing my Department’s social media accounts on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Given the dynamic and far-reaching nature of social media, managing these five channels in an effective manner requires significant resources.

The core social media team consists of 1 Assistant Principal, 1 Administrative Officer and 1 Executive Officer. Each of these staff members carries out social media duties as one part of their wider communications function, which also encompasses strategic communications, public outreach, customer service and media relations. The social media team is responsible for content development for social media (including written, graphic and video content), social media planning, and social media promotion, monitoring and analysis, as well as customer service online where required. The team monitors engagement and notifications on each platform daily, responding where necessary. If required, the team will monitor and report on engagement and reaction to specific initiatives and announcements. The time commitment related to this work can vary depending on communications priorities, but is estimated at about two hours per day collectively.