asked the Minister for the Environment the public relations or advertising agency, if any, which was commissioned to prepare the Smogbusters Campaign; the cost of the campaign; and the impact, if any, which the campaign has had to date.
Ceisteanna—Questions Oral Answers. - Smoke Control Campaign.
2.
Four advertising agencies were invited to submit proposals in respect of a public information campaign dealing with smoke control and, of these, Arks Limited was chosen for the campaign, which has a proposed budget of almost £120,000 plus VAT. It is too early to assess the impact of this campaign. However, the public and media response has been favourable, and I am confident that the campaign has heightened public awareness of the need for individual voluntary action to reduce smoke pollution and has served to inform the public as to available options. I am hopeful that the campaign will lead to a substantial switch to smokeless and low smoke fuels this winter.
Would the Minister of State accept that it was an outrageous waste of public money to spend £120,000 on urging members of the general public to become smogbusters? Is the Minister of State aware that most members of the general public could not see the posters in Dublin as they drove past them and that other people who received these posters and leaflets through their doors thought they were a neat way of advertising the Ghostbusters II movie which is on in town rather than representing a serious attempt to tackle the smog problem? Would the Minister of State not agree that it would have been far better to use those funds to allow people on social welfare payments to purchase the more expensive smoke-free fuels?
They are separate questions, Deputy Shatter. The Deputy, the same as everyone else, must adhere to the Standing Orders of the House. He is not entitled to make statements and I hope the Minister of State will answer only what is appropriate in the matter of elucidating further information on the question asked.
I do not agree with Deputy Shatter. There is a duty on us to inform the public of the options available. The public in Dublin have the choice, if they want to exercise it on a voluntary basis, to burn low smoke fuels. We sought in this campaign to urge them to do so. There is a responsibility on us to make them aware of how smog is caused, what the options are and what the ratings for the different fuels as established by Eolas are. That is what we sought to do in this campaign. It is too early to say what the outcome of the campaign has been but Bord na Móna have informed me that the sales of peat briquettes already this winter are up 50 per cent in the Dublin area.
Would the Minister of State accept that the sale of peat briquettes is up due to Bord na Móna's own campaign in this area and would she not accept that this entire advertising campaign was little short of a charade and made no impact on the appalling smog problem we have suffered from in Dublin during the past four and a half weeks?
I do not accept that. The campaign must involve several different aspects such as informing the public of the options available and making them aware of what they can do in combating this problem. Of course, there must also be direct Government action and this campaign is not a substitute for that.
There has been no direct Government action.