Written Answers Nos. 1-8
1. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Taoiseach the contact details for the sections that deal with all ongoing and established grant funding in his Department and in each agency under the remit of his Department in tabular form. [9137/21]
View answerThe Department of the Taoiseach does not award grant funding to individuals or organisations. The National Economic and Social Development Office, which is funded on an annual basis by my Department, also does not award grant funding to external recipients.
2. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Taoiseach the facilities available in his Department to facilitate breastfeeding breaks in accordance with WHO guidelines of two years for women in the workplace and as part of the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017-2020. [9380/21]
View answerMy Department takes active steps to support staff returning to the workplace from maternity leave.
In line with Circular 31/06 Implementation of the Regulations of the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Act 2004, staff returning to my Department from maternity leave who are breastfeeding are entitled to paid breaks from work (one hour per day), or reduced daily working time (one hour per day) to facilitate breastfeeding or lactation until the child is two years of age.
Within Government Buildings there is a private room with en-suite facilities which is available to staff requiring private space for breastfeeding and expressing breast milk. Access to refrigeration units for the purpose of storing breast milk is provided on request.
3. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Taoiseach the status of the senior officials' group on the sustainable development goals; the membership of the group; the dates of meetings held since its inception; the scope of their work; and the Departments represented in the group. [9062/21]
View answerThe Government is firmly committed to achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These cut across policy areas within the responsibility of many Government Departments and agencies, and touch on both domestic and international policy approaches.
The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications has lead responsibility for promoting and overseeing the coherent implementation of the SDGs on a whole-of-Government basis, and the SDG implementation and reporting framework.
Officials in his Department lead this work, including through an Inter-Departmental Group which brings together officials from Departments responsible for measures associated with individual SDGs under Ireland’s National Implementation Plan.
Overall high-level political oversight of the SDGs is provided where necessary and appropriate at Government.
The Senior Officials’ Group, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach, and supported by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, meets as required to coordinate and monitor progress generally. It met most recently on 16 February 2021.
Membership is at senior official level (principal officer or assistant secretary) and all government departments are represented. Since its inception in 2017, it has met on the following dates: 17 October 2017; 7 February 2018; 22 May 2018; 22 November 2019; 16 February 2021.
The Interdepartmental Working Group, chaired by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, meets to prepare draft documentation, including implementation plans and progress reports. Over the same period, the IDWG has met on the following occasions:
1 November 2017; 19 November 2017; 30 November 2017; 16 January 2018; 17 October 2018; 10 January 2019; 8 April 2019; 17 June 2019; 10 October 2019; 22 October 2019 (workshop); 11 December 2019; 13 January 2020; 16 June 2020; 23 July 2020; and 3 September 2020.
4. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Taoiseach the names and contact details for each special adviser requested for appointment by him in tabular form. [9605/21]
View answerThe persons employed in my Department as Special Advisers are detailed in the table below.
|
Office of the Taoiseach |
|
|
Name |
Role |
|
Deirdre Gillane |
Chief of Staff (Taoiseach's Office) |
|
Pat McParland |
Deputy Chief of Staff (Taoiseach's Office) |
|
Alan Ahearne |
Economic Adviser to the Taoiseach |
|
Lisa-Dee Collery |
Special Adviser to the Taoiseach |
|
Grainne Weld |
Special Adviser to the Taoiseach |
|
Diarmuid Lynch |
Special Adviser to the Taoiseach |
|
Office of the Government Chief Whip |
|
|
Shane Smyth |
Special Adviser to the Government Chief Whip |
|
Sam Griffin |
Special Adviser to the Government Chief Whip |
|
Office of the Tánaiste |
|
|
Brian Murphy |
Chief of Staff (Tánaiste’s Office) |
|
Angela Flanagan |
Special Adviser to the Tánaiste |
|
Philip O'Callaghan |
Special Adviser to the Tánaiste |
|
Clare Mungovan |
Special Adviser to the Tánaiste |
|
Office of the Leader of the Green Party |
|
|
Anna Conlan |
Joint Chief of Staff |
|
Donall Geoghegan |
Joint Chief of Staff |
|
Eamonn Fahey |
Special Adviser to the Leader of the Green Party |
|
David Healy |
Special Adviser to the Leader of the Green Party |
|
Niamh Allen |
Special Adviser to the Leader of the Green Party |
The email address template to contact special advisers at my Department is firstname.surname@taoiseach.gov.ie During current COVID-19 restrictions, special advisers can be reached by contacting the main telephone number for the Department - 01 6194000.
5. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach the number of staff employed in his Department by gender and by Civil Service salary scale in tabular form. [9670/21]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below.
Table 1: Department of the Taoiseach Staff by Grade and Gender - 24 February 2021*
|
Grade |
Total |
Male |
Female |
|
Secretary General |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Second Secretary General |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Assistant Secretary |
6 |
3 |
3 |
|
Principal Officer |
18 |
9 |
9 |
|
Assistant Principal Officer |
40 |
13 |
27 |
|
Higher Executive Officer |
35 |
9 |
26 |
|
Administrative Officer |
23 |
7 |
16 |
|
Executive Officer |
39 |
12 |
27 |
|
Clerical Officer |
42 |
18 |
24 |
|
Services Staff (including cleaners) |
15 |
11 |
4 |
|
Total |
220 |
83 |
137 |
*excludes politically appointed staff
6. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach the current number of live studies, reviews and research undertaken or commissioned by him; and the date by which each study, review and research is scheduled to be completed in tabular form. [9692/21]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below.
|
Details of study/review/research currently underway |
Date commenced |
Estimated date of completion |
|
Joint research programme with Economic and Social Research Institute as part of Shared Island initiative. |
December 2020. |
Research outputs to be published during 2021 and 2022. |
|
National Economic and Social Council research to produce a comprehensive report on Shared Island, to inform development of the Shared Island initiative as a whole of Government priority. |
January 2021. |
Report to Government during Q4 2021. |
|
Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) COVID-19 Social Activity Measure. |
January 2021. |
Q4 2021 |
The Deputy may wish to be made aware that the National Economic and Social Council is an independent statutory agency operating under the aegis of my Department. The Council analyses and reports on strategic policy matters relevant to Ireland's economic, social, environmental and sustainable development and on occasion commissions research in this regard. Details of the Council's work programme are available on www.nesc.ie.
7. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach the status of the roll-out of A Policing Service for the Future programme. [10305/21]
View answerA Policing Service for our Future (APSFF) – the Government’s Plan to implement the Report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland – is a living document which is reviewed and updated, as required, to maintain ambitious but realistic commitments, timeframes and milestones.
The Policing Reform Implementation Programme Office (PRIPO) – which is based in the Department of the Taoiseach – monitors progress on APSFF, supports the work of the Implementation Group on Policing Reform (IGPR), and keeps the High-Level Steering Board on Policing Reform and Government apprised of progress being made.
A Policing Service for our Future is broken down in to four stages of implementation, namely:
1. The Building Blocks Phase (6 months’ duration);
2. The Launching Phase (6 months’ duration);
3. The Scaling Phase (18 months’ duration); and
4. The Consolidation Phase (12 – 18 months’ duration currently envisaged).
The first two phases of A Policing Service for our Future (the Building Blocks and Launching Phases) have been completed and much has already been achieved. For example:
- The roll-out of a new Operating Model for An Garda Síochána, designed to streamline Garda administration and to provide a more visible, responsive and localised policing service to communities nationwide;
- An Garda Síochána has established and strengthened resourcing of a Human Rights Unit and re-established the Strategic Human Rights Advisory Committee;
- The National Security Analysis Centre (NSAC) has been established; and
- The Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2019 has been enacted which gives Gardaí access to the Workplace Relations Commission for the first time and provides for a modern industrial relations framework within An Garda Síochána.
There has also been progress on legislative reform, in particular, legislation is being drafted relating to:
- the use of recording devices (including body worn cameras);
- the codification of legislation defining police powers of arrest, search and detention; and
- a new coherent framework for the governance and oversight of An Garda Síochána.
These measures and achievements represent only some of the wide range of actions being progressed under APSFF.
Progress since early 2020 has been impacted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The third phase of the implementation of A Policing Service for our Future – the Scaling Phase – was originally scheduled to commence in early 2020. However, as the Scaling Phase was being finalised, COVID-19 and the response required, became a factor to be considered.
I have been encouraged to see the responsiveness and flexibility shown by An Garda Síochána in dealing with the demands of this unprecedented situation.
The third phase of A Policing Service for our Future – the Scaling Phase – commenced in October 2020. This is the critical phase of the programme of reform, during which the programme gains momentum. The delivery of the majority of the actions will be started or executed during the Scaling Phase.
The IGPR and PRIPO have been, and continue to be, actively engaged with key stakeholders to ensure continued momentum on reform, in so far as possible, in current circumstances.
8. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Taoiseach the amount his Department has expended to date regarding awareness raising campaigns of Covid-19 in national newspapers, regional newspapers, national radio, regional and local radio stations and across social media platforms; and the amount of committed expenditure under any current contracts or agreements with same in tabular form. [10472/21]
View answerThe spend on Covid-19 public information campaigns is listed in the tables below.
Since March of 2020, my Department has co-ordinated communications for the whole-of-government response to the pandemic. This necessitated expenditure on a broad range of targeted public messaging across a range of different information campaigns.
The overall communications strategy for Covid-19 is based on a coordinated response that ensures maximum clarity for citizens, businesses and our wider community. This aligns with both World Health Organisation (WHO) and European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) advice, both of which emphasise the importance of ensuring the general public is aware of the seriousness of the COVID-19 outbreak, and further that a high degree of population understanding, community engagement and acceptance of the measures put in place are key in preventing further spread.
It is also recommended that communication strategies should target different audiences and provide the rationale behind the measures, also outlining the necessity to put a support system in place to provide essential services and supplies (e.g. food and medication), and to monitor vulnerable individuals.
Campaigns have included national and local radio, national and regional newspapers and social elements across different platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Last Spring a number of campaigns were run as restrictions were initially imposed at the onset of the pandemic in order to explain the measures and to reinforce public health messages. Other Campaigns focussed on targeted sectors including the Business Sector, the postponement of the Leaving Certificate, the Return to Work Campaigns and Community Wellbeing.
In May of last year, the Government’s Roadmap to Reopen Society and Business was published and a communications campaign was run to explain the different phases of the Roadmap.
During Summer 2020 the Jobs Stimulus Plan was announced by the Government and a Campaign was run which focussed on restoring confidence and investment in the recovery.
In Autumn Campaigns aimed at Community Wellbeing and Keeping Well and reinforcing public health messaging were run.
The AntiViral Campaign, launched in December, aims to engage with those aged 18-24, recognising that they have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Also in December, there were campaigns to inform citizens of the advice for having a safe Christmas with family and friends, and guidance on shopping safely, to reinforce public health messaging. This campaign is a way to demonstrate the positive role that our young people are playing in beating back this virus. It has had over 5.7 million interactions on the social platforms and reached over 300,000 people in that age demographic. The AntiViral hashtag had over 1.1 million views and the Campaign’s positive sentiment was measured at over 60%.
It is essential that citizens, business owners and communities are informed of the decisions being made by Government, and campaigns are developed and implemented to make the public aware of these decisions.
Data from 25 of the Campaigns advertised in National press show an average reach of 49%, with 17 of these reaching over 50%. The average readership for the 25 campaigns was 1.9 million (with 16 of the 25 campaigns having a readership of over 2 million). Readership figures for regional newspapers is over 1.5 million for each campaign. Radio advertising had an average audience reach of 79%, with 19 of the campaigns advertised on radio reaching over 80%.
Digital display advertising was used in 13 campaigns, with a combined audience reach of over 33 million. This is an average of 2.6 million impressions, with six of the campaigns reaching over 3 million citizens.
Of 19 campaigns analysed that used Social media advertising, an average of 4.9 million impressions were achieved, with a high of 16.1 million impressions for the Publication of the Roadmap campaign.
|
Covid-19 Advertising Costs 2020 |
||||||
|
Campaign: |
Advertising in publications |
Broadcast Advertising |
Online Banner Advertising |
Social Media advertising |
Production costs |
Total |
|
Emergency Business Supports |
€229,784 |
€253,141 |
€0 |
€0 |
€9,422 |
€492,347 |
|
Use of Outdoor/Public Spaces |
€140,178 |
€264,855 |
€0 |
€0 |
€12,983 |
€418,016 |
|
14 Day Restrictions |
€135,291 |
€323,281 |
€0 |
€5,064 |
€13,407 |
€477,043 |
|
Community Call |
€578,741 |
€1,061,445 |
€100,520 |
€0 |
€33,918 |
€1,774,624 |
|
Business Supports - SMEs |
€470,649 |
€414,255 |
€83,998 |
€6,215 |
€43,850 |
€1,018,967 |
|
Wellbeing |
€268,367 |
€395,996 |
€124,999 |
€11,263 |
€35,221 |
€835,846 |
|
Reopening Roadmap |
€303,611 |
€439,980 |
€23,809 |
€47,381 |
€36,832 |
€851,613 |
|
Business Reopening - Return to Work Safely Protocol |
€311,932 |
€414,641 |
€100,000 |
€13,939 |
€27,669 |
€868,181 |
|
Leaving Certificate |
€47,458 |
€0 |
€0 |
€7,239 |
€3,739 |
€58,436 |
|
Phase 1 Reopening |
€527,336 |
€486,403 |
€113,993 |
€14,350 |
€34,677 |
€1,176,759 |
|
Business Reopening - RTW 2 |
€219,889 |
€341,233 |
€29,877 |
€6,158 |
€3,785 |
€600,942 |
|
Phase 2 Reopening |
€310,423 |
€444,453 |
€93,740 |
€17,091 |
€26,839 |
€892,545 |
|
Phase 3 Reopening |
€583,883 |
€462,156 |
€81,032 |
€19,548 |
€59,194 |
€1,205,814 |
|
Personal Responsibility |
€0 |
€348,175 |
€29,337 |
€0 |
€6,876 |
€384,388 |
|
Travel |
€143,412 |
€164,130 |
€0 |
€0 |
€15,812 |
€323,353 |
|
Phase 4 Reopening - July Delay |
€316,218 |
€380,505 |
€0 |
€11,140 |
€27,872 |
€735,735 |
|
July Jobs Stimulus |
€274,421 |
€208,380 |
€117,027 |
€20,706 |
€31,841 |
€652,375 |
|
Travel Green List |
€47,307 |
€117,173 |
€0 |
€0 |
€14,772 |
€179,252 |
|
Phase 4 Reopening - August Delay |
€0 |
€165,466 |
€0 |
€0 |
€5,898 |
€171,364 |
|
3 Counties Restrictions (National and Regional) |
€18,234 |
€87,939 |
€0 |
€0 |
€13,250 |
€119,423 |
|
Additional National Measures (August) |
€236,596 |
€192,278 |
€0 |
€0 |
€20,733 |
€449,607 |
|
Dublin/Limerick High incidence awareness |
€154,770 |
€183,921 |
€0 |
€0 |
€27,368 |
€366,059 |
|
Living with COVID (Announcement, Framework and Household booklet) |
€332,909 |
€357,401 |
€103,324 |
€27,767 |
€81,203 |
€902,604 |
|
Dublin Level 3 (Sept) |
€0 |
€0 |
€0 |
tbc |
€12,318 |
€12,318 |
|
Donegal Level 3 (Sept) |
€123,782 |
€52,554 |
€0 |
€0 |
€1,488 |
€177,824 |
|
Reinforcing Public Health Messaging Nationwide |
€0 |
€76,475 |
€36,363 |
€9,674 |
€3,836 |
€126,348 |
|
Nationwide Level 3 (Oct) |
€47,307 |
€170,682 |
€6,410 |
€5,833 |
€9,367 |
€239,599 |
|
3 Counties L4 / National L3 update |
€0 |
€31,296 |
€0 |
€3,836 |
€9,728 |
€44,860 |
|
Nationwide Level 5 (Oct) |
€47,307 |
€138,355 |
€6,410 |
€7,885 |
€11,779 |
€211,736 |
|
Keep Well - Community Wellbeing |
€265,970 |
€342,127 |
€82,116 |
€12,003 |
€39,343 |
€741,559 |
|
#SafeChristmas Phase 1 (L3) |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
€40,160 |
€40,160 |
|
#Antiviral |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
€87,120 |
€87,120 |
|
3rd Party Copy/Scriptwriting/Strategy |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
€50,820 |
|
|
#SafeChristmas Live action TV ad |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
€157,058 |
€157,058 |
|
#SafeChristmas Animated TV ad |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
€36,947 |
€36,947 |
|
TOTALS 2020 |
€6,135,775 |
€8,318,696 |
€1,132,956 |
€247,092 |
€996,304 |
€16,881,642 |
|
Advertising Costs 2021 |
||||||
|
Campaign: |
Advertising in publications |
Broadcast Advertising |
Online Banner Advertising |
Social Media advertising |
Production costs |
Total |
|
#SafeChristmas Live action TV ad |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
€6,292 |
€6,292 |
|
#SafeChristmas P2 - (ease of restrictions) |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
€22,494 |
€22,494 |
|
#SafeChristmas P3 - Gathering/Dinner |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
€0 |
|
Christmas transition to Level 5 |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
€0 |
|
Dec/Jan return to full Level 5 |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
€14,272 |
€14,272 |
|
January Additional Level 5 measures |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
€10,938 |
€10,938 |
|
#Antiviral maintenance campaign |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
|
|
Do the Right Thing |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
tbc |
|
|
TOTAL 2021 Costs |
€53,996 |
