Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 November 2019
134. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the amount spent by her Department and each agency under the aegis of her Department on the National Ploughing Championships in each of the years 2016 to 2018 and to date in 2019, by online advertising, offline advertising, promotional material, wages, photography, stand rental and other costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49533/19]
View answerMy Department and its offices have attended the National Ploughing Championships, over the years 2016 to 2019, to engage with the public and promote various aspects of our work. These included the Finance for Growth Unit, SME Policy Unit, Enterprise Agencies Unit, Employment Permits Unit, the Workplace Relations Commission and the Patents Office.
The presence of these staff, on a rotational basis, at the National Ploughing Championships was to:
- Promote awareness of supports available to enterprise and particularly supports in relation to Brexit;
- Provide advice on Ireland's employment permits system;
- Provide advice to the public on their rights and responsibilities under employment legislation;
- Advise businesses on the protection of their intellectual property.
The costs incurred by my Department in attending the National Ploughing Championships for the years 2016 to 2019 are set out in the table.
The Deputy has also requested details of the wages paid to staff. Staff were paid their normal salaries, however given the timeframe for responding to this question, it is not possible to provide information on any overtime payments that may have occurred. I have asked my officials to compile this information for the Deputy and this will be forwarded as soon as possible.
Where travel and subsistence costs were incurred by staff attending the event, expenses are paid at the normal civil service rates. These costs are included are in the table below. Please note that travel and subsistence costs are not available at this time for 2016 as the Department’s Travel and Subsistence Claim system migrated to the Government’s Payroll Shared Services circa June 2017 and records prior to that would appear to be held off site and retrieving specific claims for 2016 relating to the NPC would require more time.
Additionally, a number of the agencies of my Department, for whom the National Ploughing Championships are a significant opportunity to engage with the public, had a presence at the event. These included Enterprise Ireland, the Local Enterprise Offices, and the Health and Safety Authority. The costs incurred by agencies of my Department will be forwarded to the Deputy within the timeframe allowed.
Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation Expenditure at The National Ploughing Championships 2016 – 2019
|
Category of Expenditure |
2016 € |
2017 € |
2018 € |
2019 € |
|
Online Expenditure |
0 |
0 |
2,160 |
0 |
|
Offline Expenditure, e.g print and radio |
558 |
7,627 |
8,640 |
454 |
|
Promotional Materials |
0 |
0 |
4,643 |
2,929 |
|
Photography |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Stand Rental |
4,892 |
9,592 |
14,412 |
23,481 |
|
Other Costs, incl T&S |
0 |
5,908 |
8,406 |
6,896 |
|
Total |
5,450 |
23,127 |
38,261 |
33,760 |
