Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

49. To ask the Taoiseach the total amount spent by his Department on advertisements, including traditional forms of advertisement and online advertising, in each of the past ten years and to date in 2021. [54916/21]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The following table details expenditure by my Department on advertisements from 2011 to the beginning of November 2021.

The bulk of the spend in 2020 and 2021 relates to the dissemination of information related to the COVID-19 emergency. Public information campaigns played a vital role in communicating the various strands of the pandemic. The campaigns informed citizens of all stages of restrictions as they were introduced and subsequently lifted. Public information campaigns were also used to communicate with citizens on the supports being made available by Government to get through the pandemic. Campaigns have taken place across national and local radio, national and regional newspapers, and social media platforms. The centralised approach adopted is helping to ensure effectiveness of advertising spend and consistency and amplification of the public health messaging across the various public awareness campaigns and to those hard to reach audiences.

My Department also incurred expenditure during the period 2011-2021 on a wide range of public information campaigns which have been as set out in previous parliamentary replies.