Departmental Expenditure

Thursday, 17 June 2021

Questions (273)

Alan Kelly

Question:

273. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the amount her Department and associated agencies have spent on social media advertising since the beginning of January 2021 until 12 June 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32622/21]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

My Department uses social media to promote the wide range of schemes and programmes operated under its auspices and it uses digital content to support engagement with citizens and communities across Ireland.

Effective communication with the public and stakeholders is essential in achieving the Department’s goals, particularly in relation to programmes such as Creative Ireland which is a culture-based, all-of-government initiative that aims to place creativity at the centre of public policy and public life. The core proposition of the Programme is to engage citizens and communities in creativity, recognising that personal and collective participation in creative activity has significant implications for individual, community and societal wellbeing. The Programme uses inter alia digital platforms to deliver its core proposition principally through the Creative Ireland website and social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram). The Programme has incurred costs of €563.46 on paid social media advertising from January 2021 to date. In addition, Culture Ireland spent €211.40 on advertising with Facebook for online promotion of the St. Patrick's Week Programme called SEODA.

Information on social media advertising spend by agencies of the Department is not held centrally. I am contacting the Agencies in this regard and I will forward the information to the Deputy in accordance with the timelines set out in Standing Orders.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51

Table

Name of Public Body	Expenditure
Crawford Art Gallery	€0
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland	Regulatory body
National Library of Ireland	€100.00
Foras na Gaeilge(North South Body)	€1,109.05
Ulster Scots Agency (North South Body)	€201.55 *
Údarás Na Gaeltachta	€40.00
National Gallery of Ireland	€2,208
RTÉ	Commercial body
Irish Museum of Modern Art	€94.00
TG4	Commercial body
National Museum of Ireland	€24,126.97
National Concert Hall	€15,621.05
Sport Ireland	€150.00
Arts Council	€0
Chester Beatty Library	€651
Fáilte Ireland	€49,500
Screen Ireland	€368.24
Tourism Ireland (North South Body)	€2,079,395 **
National Archives	€0
An Coimisinéir Teanga	€0
Total	€2,173,564.86

With respect to the BAI, TG4 and RTE, these bodies are independent in the discharge of their operations.

* Ulster Scots Agency (North South Body) value in table is a Sterling to Euro conversion.

** Tourism Ireland is the all-island tourism marketing company established on foot of the Good Friday Agreement, which operates under the auspices of the North South Ministerial Council. Social media advertising plays a significant part in its activity to promote Ireland as a tourist destination and it has spent €2,079,395 on international paid social advertising, between 1st January and 12th June 2021. This spend was on its #FillYourHeartWithIreland global social media campaign, as well as on St Patrick’s Day and Diaspora campaigns. It was also used for an email acquisition campaign, to encourage its target audience to sign up to receive email communications from Tourism Ireland about the island of Ireland, to inspire them to take a holiday here in the future.