Written answers
Tuesday, 4 July 2023
Department of An Taoiseach
Departmental Funding
Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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128. To ask the Taoiseach 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; and if he has sought and secured an assurance that none of this funding was rebated via the RTÉ advertising barter account. [32000/23]
Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The table below details expenditure by my Department on advertising from 2013 to the 30th June 2023. Since 2020, under the estimates processes, a specific allocation had been provided to the Department of the Taoiseach for COVID-19 Public Communications.
| Total Advertising expenditure | RTE Advertising expenditure | |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | €68,128 | Nil |
| 2014 | €6,192 | Nil |
| 2015 | €53,666 | Nil |
| 2016 | €21,815 | Nil |
| 2017 | €40,616 | Nil |
| 2018 | €1,895,673 | €86,486 |
| 2019 | €33,659 | Nil |
| 2020 | €17,045,754 | €2,185,958 |
| 2021 | €11,573,834 | €1,376,870 |
| 2022 | €1,784,925.93 | €85,160 |
| 30 June 2023 | €4,808.23 | Nil |
In regard to RTE advertising, our media purchasing partner have confirmed that they have never used barter for any government business.
The National Economic and Social Development Office, under the aegis of the Department of the Taoiseach, does not have an advertising budget allocation in any of the past ten years or to date in 2023, and has never provided funding directly to RTE.
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