Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has not allocated any funding or made any payments to RTE.

The following is the position regarding the advertising budget spend by my Department and the bodies under the aegis of my Department in each of the past ten years.

Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform

Year	Total Advertising Budget Allocated/Spent
2013	Nil
2014	Nil
2015	€2460.00
2016	€1,333.66
2017	€3,780.14
2018	€9,501.82
2019	€53,702.84*
2020	€38,411.01*
2021	€8,659.33
2022	€6,485.79
To date in 2023	€45,909.40*

*The increased spending in 2019 reflects spending on the Project Ireland 2040 Public Information campaign - two-week tranches of transit advertising on public transport networks throughout Ireland. The increased spending in 2020 relates to to secure advertising space in a number of local and national newspapers in order to publish a notice of statutory Public Consultations held under the European Union (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Arterial Drainage) Regulations 2019, which deals with the development of flood relief schemes. The increased spending to date in 2023 relates to the national media campaign consisting of press, radio and digital advertising to promote the new eTenders platform.

Bodies under the Aegis

OPW

Year	Total Advertising Budget Allocated/ Spent
2013	€252,484
2014	€329,225
2015	€410,825
2016	€302,477
2017	€507,511
2018	€389,992
2019	€453,177
2020	€471,680
2021	€424,228
2022	€451,355
To date in 2023	€246,435

Office of the Ombudsman

Year	Total Advertising Budget Allocated/Spent *
2013	€53,688.00
2014	€39,739.00
2015	€135,044.00
2016	€164,133.00
2017	€64,488.00
2018	€67,978.00
2019	€49,898.00
2020	€48,419.00
2021	€25,559.00
2022	€17,096.00
To date in 2023	€20,118.00

*This is the total expenditure per year incurred by the Office of the Ombudsman Vote (Vote 19). This comprises of the Office of the Ombudsman, the Standards in Public Office Commission (including the Regulation of Lobbying), the Office of the Information Commissioner, the Commissioner for Environmental Protection, the Commission for Public Service Appointments and the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner. The increase in expenditure in 2015 and 2016 related to an advertising campaign concerning the launch of the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015.

Public Appointments Service

Year	Total Advertising Budget Allocated/ Spent
2013	€502,655.00
2014	€705,124.00
2015	€685,770.00
2016	€633,681.00
2017	€660,235.00
2018	€804,500.00
2019	€926,050.00
2020	€751,183.00
2021	€912,477.00
2022	€859,667.00
To date in 2023	€517,487.00

National Shared Service Office

Year	Total Advertising Budget Spent
2013	Nil
2014	Nil
2015	Nil
2016	Nil
2017	Nil
2018	Nil
2019	Nil
2020	Nil
2021	Nil
2022	€244.00
To date in 2023	Nil

State Laboratory and Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery

Both the State Laboratory and the Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery have advised that there was no advertising budget allocated or spent in the last ten years or to date in 2023.