Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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377. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total advertising budget allocated by his Department and agencies in each of the past ten years, and to date in 2023, respectively; the funding provided directly to RTÉ in each year; if he has sought and secured an assurance that none of this funding was rebated via the RTÉ advertising barter account; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32001/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides public information about the Department's wide range of schemes, services and policies.

The amount spent by my Department on advertising in each of the past ten years, and to date in 2023, is set out in the table below. This expenditure includes the publication of Statutory Notices that are required to comply with various national and EU legislative requirements.

Department public information campaigns, placed by the media buying agency, PHD Ltd, included €8,509 expenditure with RTÉ in 2020 and €30,748 expenditure with RTÉ in 2022. PHD Ltd have advised the Department that they did not use a barter account in respect of this expenditure.

During the period from January 2013 to date, the Department did not provide funding to RTÉ directly.

As regards the 12 State Bodies under the aegis of the Department, the information requested is an operational matter for the State Bodies themselves. I have therefore referred the Deputy’s question to the Agencies and have requested that a response should issue to the Deputy within 10 days.