Written answers
Wednesday, 1 February 2023
Department of An Taoiseach
Departmental Advertising
Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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36. To ask the Taoiseach the amount spent by his Department on online advertising in each of the past ten years and to date in 2023, in tabular form; and if he will provide details in relation to this spending. [4860/23]
Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The table below details expenditure by my Department on online advertising from 2013 to the 31stof January 2023.
| 2013 | Nil |
|---|---|
| 2014 | Nil |
| 2015 | €492 |
| 2016 | Nil |
| 2017 | Nil |
| 2018 | €436,823 |
| 2019 | €12,281 |
| 2020 | €1,451,433 |
| 2021 | €1,092,363 |
| 2022 | €256,143 |
| January 2023 | Nil |
The bulk of the spend from 2020-2022 relates to the dissemination of information related to the COVID-19 emergency. As part of the Government's coordinated approach to public health communications, there were 70 COVID-19 public information campaigns. The online advertising expenditure related to banner advertisements on websites, Google search promotion and advertising on a range of social media platforms - Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Tiktok, Snapchat and Youtube.
Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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37. To ask the Taoiseach if his attention has been drawn to any instances where the public relations unit and or press office of his Department undertook to create social media accounts under false names, which were operated in order to further the messaging or communications of his Department [4878/23]
Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Government Information Service (GIS), which incorporates the Government Press Office, carries out communications activities on behalf of the Department of the Taoiseach and Government.
As part of its work, GIS manages the content on the Department of the Taoiseach gov.ie site as well as the merrionstreet.ie social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and TikTok. GIS also manages the content on the Government of Ireland account on LinkedIn.
I am not aware of any instances where GIS undertook to create social media accounts under false names in order to further the messaging of communications of the Department of the Taoiseach or Government.
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