Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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1037. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount spent on social media by her Department and agencies under her remit in 2021; and the platforms the monies were spent on in tabular form. [1707/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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For the purpose of this response, we have interpreted ‘amount spent on social media’ as media buying costs incurred from public information campaigns, announcements and recruitment notices on social media channels.

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.

Public information campaigns, including advertising on social media platforms, are an important part of this work.  All 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.

In total, the Department delivered 18 public information campaigns in 2021, and 15 of these campaigns included advertising on social media channels.  Of the 18 campaigns there were a total of seven campaigns related to the promotion of COVID-19 income supports and all included advertising on social media.

Social Media Advertising spend of the Department of Social Protection

Details of the 2021 total spend* (ex VAT and agency fees) on social media, as well as the spend on each social media platform is outlined below:

* Amounts are those which have been invoiced to date.

My Department has not used Tic Tok or Snapchat social media platforms for any of its 2021 advertising campaigns.

Social Media Advertising spend of agencies under the remit of the Department of Social Protection

Pensions Authority

The figures outlined in the table below are excludingVAT and agency fees and are those which have been invoiced to date.

The Authority conduct an annual awareness campaign which includes digital advertising broken down as follows:

Pensions Council

NIL return, no advertising spend.

Citizen’s Information Board

The figures outlined in the table below are includingVAT and agency fees and are those which have been invoiced to date: