I refer the Deputy to my reply to Questions Nos. 338, 343 and 345 of 12 February 2003. The expenditure for media purposes and advertising placed by my Department and its predecessor, the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, in 2002 and by my Department in 2003 was as follows: Brindley Advertising holds the Government contract for advertising in the print media, mainly for statutory and official notifications, in 2002, €829,528; in 2003 — €244,558.
The following amounts were also paid in respect of advertising during these periods: to RTE in 2002, €1,362 and in 2003, €75; to O'Meara & Partners — in respect of advertising of the National Folklife Museum, Turlough House, Castlebar: in 2002, €6,525, and in 2003, nil; to Montague Communications — in respect of the national advisory committee on drugs, in 2002, €19,303 and in 2003, €62,111; to LBV Television, €14,750 in respect of a bilingual departmental video for participation in community information roadshow in October 2003; to the Irish Farmers Journal, €2,194.94; and to Hoson Publishing €847 in respect of advertising the Department's attendance at the national ploughing championships 2003.
Payments made by my Department's press office for external public relations and media monitoring services were as follows: 2002 media monitoring, €6,742.31 and public relations, €2,108.66: total €850.97. In 2003, media monitoring, €11,774.00 and public relations, €1,968.87: the total was €13,743.00.
