Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2015
252. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide, in tabular form, broken down by year, the use of external public relations firms employed by his Department since coming into office; if he will provide the list of uses of the external public relations firm and internal Department policy with regard to employing external groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23436/15]
View answerI take it that the Deputy is referring solely to external public relations costs and not to advertising costs that would be incurred by my Department in the normal course of business, such as entries into telephone directories, the placing of advertisements in national newspapers, recruitment advertising, etc.
No such costs have been incurred in respect of my Department in the period since I came into office.
The Department's policy regarding employing external groups is to follow the relevant general public procurement rules and procedures.
