Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 July 2015
668. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Skills the total cost of public advertising, statutory and non-statutory, funded by her Department in 2013 and 2014 respectively; the corresponding figure for agencies under the control of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30023/15]
View answerFor the Deputy's information, the Department's advertising costs in 2013 was €321,598.57 and in 2014 was €147,997.16. Expenditure on public advertisements is incurred in connection with a wide range of educational programmes and schemes including staff appointments in the education sector, invitations to attend local hearings, invitations to forward submissions on education-related schemes/projects, and invitations to tender for school building projects. Every effort is made to keep advertising costs as low as possible. With regard to bodies under the aegis of my Department, the information sought is a matter for each agency and is not collated centrally. If the Deputy has an interest in a particular agency, officials will request the agency concerned to provide the relevant information. The Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies outlines the responsibilities of state bodies with regard to procurement and the need to achieve value for money while conducting procurement exercises. The Department regularly updates the aegis bodies on developments in relation to public procurement policy and practices. For the Deputy's information details of agencies under the remit of my Department can be downloaded from the Department's website, www.education.ie/.
