Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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681. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount his Department spent in 2023, 2024 and to-date in 2025, in tabular form on advertisement on a website (details supplied). [17392/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to ensuring that members of the public are aware of the welfare supports and services that are available to them. Public information campaigns, including advertising on digital platforms such as Google, are an important part of this work and allows the Department to interact with specific demographics and age groups, for whom this sphere of communication is central to their media and information consumption.

The use of Google search in public information campaigns ensures that the public are directed to the sites that deliver the services/information they are looking for. The purchase of all digital and online space is managed through a media-buying company contracted by the Department. Value for money is always an essential consideration.

There was no spend on google advertising in 2023. Google advertising costs for the year 2024 were €6,644.67. This figure excludes VAT, ASAI (Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland), and agency fees.

In relation to the 2025 spend, Google advertising is being used as a channel of communication for a public information campaign that is currently live. Because the Department has yet to be invoiced for this campaign, it is not possible to provide the requested information as it relates to 2025 at this time.