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Government Communications

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 2 June 2021

Wednesday, 2 June 2021

Questions (1, 2, 3, 4)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

1. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the Government Information Service. [25544/21]

View answer

Alan Kelly

Question:

2. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the Government Information Service. [27891/21]

View answer

Richard Boyd Barrett

Question:

3. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the Government Information Service. [29780/21]

View answer

Paul Murphy

Question:

4. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the Government Information Service. [29783/21]

View answer

Oral answers (6 contributions)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, together.

The Government Information System, GIS, co-ordinates cross-government communications and comprises the Government press office and the Merrion Street content team. GIS co-ordinates communications for cross-government programmes such as the State's response to Brexit and Covid-19. The team also manages press conferences and media briefings both for the Department and in support of cross-government programmes. GIS manages the Government of Ireland identity and a communications capacity building service for public servants, including training and development and a monthly communications network meeting. The Merrion Street team manages content for the Department's gov.ie website as well as the Merrion Street social media platforms.

Much of the Government's communications yesterday focused on returning to work and supports for business, but pillar 2 of the recovery plan, as it is called, includes a number of commitments that fall well short of people's lived experiences. It seems that, increasingly, there is a disconnect between Government policy objectives and the outcomes experienced on the ground. No amount of spin, whoever is spinning, can hide the fact that the Government announced yesterday its intention to close the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, scheme and reduce supports gradually for people who are out of work as a direct consequence of Covid.

We know from research published last month that young people have been hardest hit by unemployment and reduced employment opportunities and progression from Covid-19. A study published today using CSO data tells us that almost three in five of those aged between 18 and 24 were unemployed in March. That is a shocking situation. Therefore, it makes it all the more incredible that in the neighbourhood in which I live, in Cabra, Dublin, the Dublin education and training board, ETB, has decided to end the provision of further education courses at Cabra Community College. This decision was made with no consultation or alternatives offered. It is disastrous and myopic and it will fail the people, and the young people in particular, of not just Cabra but the entire district of Dublin 7. I ask the Taoiseach to raise this matter urgently with the Minister, Deputy Harris, with a view to having it reversed.

There has been significant spend on public information campaigns during the pandemic, although we can all accept there was a necessity for public health reasons. The Department of An Taoiseach roughly estimated that €20 million has been spent since 2020. For example, €1.4 million was spent on online advertising, with a further €500,000 in 2021. Up to the end of April, €8.3 million was spent on broadcast media, of which €1.4 million has been spent thus far this year. Some €6.2 million was spent on print media, of which €1.3 million was spent in 2020, and so on and so forth. The Department has provided me with a long list of spending on this issue. There has been a considerable spend on merrionstreet.ie as well.

Who decides what gets advertised, where and how it is advertised and where the spend is going? Who is making the final decisions? Is it Department officials or political advisers?

The second question is important, given the Taoiseach's history in terms of money being spent by Governments on promoting projects. How much of a budget, if any, does the Taoiseach expect to commit to advertising the economic recovery plan which was published yesterday? I would be shocked if there was an advertisement put out, considering the history in terms of the strategic communications unit, much of which I agreed with.

Will there be any advertising campaigns during the Taoiseach's time in government for political decisions made as regards the recovery plan or anything else? I presume not. I presume the Taoiseach will stand over what he said in opposition - I apologise; he was supporting the previous Government - regarding projects and political decisions in that they will not be promoted in a political way by his Government.

As we speak, advertisements on the radio are inviting people to check out the Government's website on the national recovery programme and all the announcements being made. However, a couple of announcements are absent, about which I have repeatedly asked the Taoiseach. More importantly, the groups affected by the pandemic and public health measures and whose incomes and livelihoods have been decimated as a result have repeatedly been asking about them. It appears there is nothing in all the announcements for these groups.

The first of those groups is made up of the taxi drivers, who the Taoiseach met in the last week or two. Last week, for the second time, they were outside here in large numbers protesting and looking for a financial package of support to help their industry which is on its knees and will remain so as long as music, entertainment, tourism and all those areas continue to be severely restricted.

The other group is made up of the musicians. The music and entertainment business assistance scheme, MEBAS, was announced, but I was talking to musicians last night who have been campaigning on this and they said the eligibility criteria, once again, will mean the vast majority who need help will not get it. The musician I was talking to said he was not joking when he said he was having bread and jam for dinner and saving a banana for tomorrow, because he did not have the money to eat. That is how economically decimated musicians who work in pubs and clubs have been. He said, once again, despite all the promises, there is little or nothing in the economic recovery plan for the musicians and, of course, the Government is threatening to cut the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP.

The Government information spin machine has been trying to prepare the ground for a reintroduction of JobBridge, a JobBridge 2.0. Rather than debating it in the Dáil, we saw it mentioned in one of the Sunday newspapers. There will be substantial opposition to any attempt to reintroduce a JobBridge scheme, even through the backdoor. The plans yesterday refer to a new work experience placement programme with a target of 10,000 participants. For the Government to think it can trick people into accepting the bringing back of JobBridge under another name shows there is a plan to return to austerity and keep wages extremely low, despite what the Taoiseach has said publicly.

JobBridge was about exploitation. Even the former Minister of State, John Halligan, admitted it was widely exploited by employers. I lead a campaign called ScamBridge, which outed one scheme after another, exposing the reality of what they were, in that people were working for €1.25 per hour. The Government was ultimately forced to abolish it because of public outrage. We do not need another so-called job activation scheme. We do not need these schemes to force people to work for free. Instead, we need the creation of real, quality, green jobs.

On Deputy McDonald's comments and views on the recovery plan, today hotels, bed and breakfast accommodation, guest houses and hostels are opening. This is evidence the Government's strategy is working, in terms of reopening society and the economy and getting thousands of people back to work in construction, retail, personal services, hairdressing and childcare, which we are keen on doing. We are also providing substantial resources to provide additional job opportunities, in particular for young people. It is all about getting opportunities for young people, in terms of training and jobs.

Deputy McDonald consistently accuses other politicians of being disconnected. One gets the sense, in recent times, Sinn Féin is disconnected from reality. The Government will have borrowed €40 billion by the end of this year, in the middle of a pandemic. It is substantial. Up to €8 billion has been spent so far on the pandemic unemployment payment. Sinn Féin does not believe in raising revenue anywhere. It is just not real, in terms of what is coming from the Opposition side.

I do not know whether the Deputy has members on the education and training board, ETB. The Minister for Education cannot intervene in every ETB, but we will check that out, in respect of Cabra. I do not know the background of why Dublin City ETB has taken that decision.

On Deputy Kelly's question, it is Department officials who make decisions on the allocation. We all accept the campaigns informed citizens of all stages of restrictions, as they were introduced and, subsequently, lifted. That had to be done. Public information campaigns were used to communicated with citizens on the supports being made available by Government throughout the pandemic. Campaigns included information on business and well-being supports, postponement of the leaving certificate 2020, school reopening and the job stimulus plan.

Campaigns also encouraged key behaviours necessary to control the virus. Campaigns communicated the reopening plan in the summer of 2020 and the national framework for living with Covid-19. These are public information notices and there will be some of these notices on the recovery and resilience plan. There will not be any political advertising, but there will be public information, in respect of any new schemes which have come in, or any changes to existing schemes, which is public information citizens need to be able to access in a clear and concise manner.

Some of the campaigns have been innovative, particularly in respect of young people, because young people have lost out the most in the pandemic, in terms of opportunities and the quality of life. That has come back from research and in that context, we have refocused some advertising campaigns to connect with young people on a range of issues pertaining to the pandemic.

On the various schemes, we will continue, for example, the employment wage subsidy scheme. It has been extended to the end of the year. People and businesses need to know that. People need to know about the Covid-19 restrictions support scheme and the restart grant, which is very significant, in terms of doubling the rate for three weeks. That is all about real jobs. It is about making sure we protect real jobs in the economy and enable people to get back.

On Deputy Boyd Barrett's point, there will be a package for taxi drivers, which the Minister, Deputy Ryan, has been working on. I met with the taxi drivers on a range of issues. The music and entertainment business assistance scheme, MEBAS, has been announced and I will talk to the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. I do not know whether Deputy Boyd Barrett has related that question to the Minister, who has been committed and persevered and worked hard to support the arts through a variety of schemes, including supports for artists, not just in terms of pandemic unemployment payments, but also initiatives which endeavour to protect different types of artists and musicians in different situations.

The MEBAS is one such announcement. Work is ongoing on a pilot scheme recommended by the recovery task force, in respect of basic income for artists, which would be groundbreaking. That is where we are. I do not accept Deputy Murphy's point. Again, for him, it seems it is all about the campaign. As far as I am concerned, it is about creating jobs and providing solutions to issues people face in their daily lives, not trying to exploit the challenges and problems on a continuing basis.

There is a campaign against this, that and the other. I do not get any sense of coherence as to how we create jobs in this society. Deputy Paul Murphy's position is very anti-enterprise and anti the creation of real jobs in our society and economy.

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