Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 December 2023
588. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if his Department operates an X account (formerly Twitter) or any other social media account, and if such accounts are verified through a subscription fee; the policy in place that guides when any of these accounts can ‘like’, endorse or support a posting on X or other social media platforms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53657/23]
View answerThe Department of Health social media channels allow us to connect with the public in a timely and efficient manner; to share news and information easily and quickly; and deliver on our commitment to transparency. The Department currently manages accounts on X (formally known as Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
The Department does not pay a subscription for verification on any of its social media accounts.
The Department of Health's full social media strategy can be viewed on our website (health.gov.ie). For ease, I have attached an extract of the text of the page below, which is correct as of 29 November 2023.
Department of Health Social Media Policy
From Department of Health
Published on 14 January 2020
Last updated on 29 November 2023
Overview
The Department of Health social media channels enable the sharing of news, updates, and health information to the public. This policy outlines the social media platforms that the Department of Health currently uses, what you can expect on each of them, and how the Department of Health interacts with members of the public on these platforms.
The Department of Health social media channels allow us to connect with followers in a timely and efficient manner; to share news and information easily and quickly; and deliver on its commitment of transparency.
Use of social media platforms is not a means of contacting the Department of Health, Minister for Health, Ministers of State, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) directly or of submitting press queries.
Contact details for the Department of Health Press Office are here - press_office@health.gov.ie
At the time of writing, the Department of Health manages X (formally known as Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube accounts.
What to expect on Department of Health social media platforms
The Department of Health social media accounts are managed by Department of Health staff who are part of the Press and Communications Unit. Posts will only be published by staff of the Department of Health.
When following our social media accounts, you can expect information covering some or all of the following:
• Press releases and speeches relating to the activities of the Department of Health, Minister for Health, Ministers of State, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO).
• Communications around Department of Health public health information campaigns.
• Event information and occasional live tweeting of events including text, photography, and video.
• Emergency communications – for example, public health warnings and updates and advice around same.
• Live streams of press conferences and events.
Who We Follow
We follow other Government Departments and Agencies, Ministers and Ministers of State, International Governmental organisations, news organisations and other bodies relevant to our function.
Following us on social media platforms will not automatically result in us following you back.
Availability
Social media platforms may occasionally be unavailable, and we accept no responsibility for lack of service due to such downtime.
We update and monitor our social media accounts during normal office hours Monday to Friday. We may also update and monitor the accounts outside of these hours at our own discretion.
How We Interact
It is not possible for us to reply individually to messages we receive via our social media accounts.
The best means of communicating a media query is via the Department of Health Press Office email: press_office@health.gov.ie
Please do not include personal/private information in your comments, posts, tweets or messages to us.
Abusive/Spam Tweets/Posts Moderation
Abusive or spam tweets or comments may result in followers being blocked and reported directly to the platform complaints section.
While we welcome comments and participation on our social media channels, we do not accept responsibility for the content of any comment and reserve the right to remove comments that:
• Contain abusive, obscene, indecent, or offensive language, or link to obscene or offensive material.
• Are completely irrelevant to the item originally posted.
• Constitute spam or promote or advertise products.
• Are designed to cause nuisance to the page administrator or other users.
For serious and/or persistent breaches of the moderation policy, we reserve the right to prevent users from posting further comments.
Comments are generally disabled on the Department of Health YouTube page. We reserve the right, however, to allow comments on occasion. Comments posted on videos are the views of individuals and do not represent the views of the Department of Health. We do not accept responsibility for the content of any comment and reserve the right to remove comments that:
• Contain abusive, obscene, indecent, or offensive language, or link to obscene or offensive material.
• Are completely irrelevant to the item originally posted.
• Constitute spam or promote or advertise products.
• Are designed to cause nuisance to the page administrator or other users.
Follows/RTs/Shares Endorsement
From our social media channels, we frequently retweet/like/share the content of other Government Departments and Government Agencies as well as content from the accounts of the Taoiseach, other Cabinet members, and the CMO and CNO.
Likes, retweets or shares are not an endorsement.
