Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 to 103, inclusive, together.

The Department of the Taoiseach’s ex Vat expenditure on the X (formerly Twitter); Meta (Facebook & Instagram); and Google platforms for paid advertisements placed in the years 2021 – 2022 and to date in 2023 is set out below. The bulk of the expenditure relates to the dissemination of information related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The remainder relates to campaigns to raise awareness of national weather events and public consultations relating to the Future of Media Commission and the Well-being Framework for Ireland.

The Department of the Taoiseach uses social media as one element of how it communicates public information in a way that is accessible and relevant to people. Working with a media buying company, the Department continues to keep all methods of communication under review with a view to maximising the accessibility and effectiveness of government communications.