Peadar Tóibín
Question:33. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent trip to New York. [46661/21]
View answerOfficial Travel
Questions (33)
Written answers
I travelled to the US on 19 September for the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly.
On 21 September, I attended the opening of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly.
My visit took place during Ireland’s Presidency of the UN Security Council and I chaired a debate in the Security Council on Climate and Security on Thursday 23 September. I delivered Ireland’s National Statement to the General Assembly on Friday 24 September, urging the Assembly to heed the alarms sounding for conflict, Covid, and climate, and to commit to immediate action.
I held a number of bilateral meetings while at the UN, including with the President of Vietnam and with the President of Colombia, discussing matters of shared interest, among them Covid-19 and economic recovery.
I spoke at an event convened by the EU and UN Women on Women in Conflicts; and joined an EU-Africa leaders’ dinner, where we discussed strengthening cooperation between the European Union and the African Union. I also attended a Pacific Island Forum event where the focus was on the effect of climate change, especially on vulnerable states.
During my visit to New York, I met with Governor Kathy Hochul. Among the issues we discussed were responses to Covid-19, and the importance of connectivity between the United States and Ireland.
I also addressed the Council on Foreign Relations, touching on issues including Ireland’s role on the Security Council, Brexit and US-Ireland relations.
I also took part virtually in President Biden’s Global Vaccine Summit, and in a Global Citizen Live event in support of climate action and poverty reduction.
My programme also included economic, cultural, commemorative and community events. I met with representatives of Enterprise Ireland and IDA client companies, and visited NBC Universal to discuss current and future production opportunities in Ireland. I attended a building dedication ceremony at the new Irish Arts Center, and met with representatives of the Ireland Funds, and with leaders of Irish community organisations who briefed me on the vital support they provided to the Irish community in the US during the pandemic.
My visit came days after the 20th anniversary of 9/11, and I took the opportunity to lay flowers in memory of all, and in particular those Irish citizens, who lost their lives in the attacks at the Memorial.
Questions Nos. 34 to 38, inclusive, resubmitted.
National Asset Management Agency
Questions (39)
Peadar Tóibín
Question:39. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach the reason the timeframe for the NAMA Commission of Investigation has been extended. [46662/21]
View answerWritten answers
The NAMA Commission of Investigation, whose sole member is Judge John Cooke, was established in June 2017 following consultations by the then Government with Opposition parties to investigate the sale by NAMA of its Northern Ireland portfolio, known as Project Eagle.
The Commission’s original deadline for reporting was 31 June 2018 but following several requests from the Commission, its timeframe for reporting has been extended. Most recently, in September 2021, I granted a request made by the Commission in its Eleventh Interim Report for an extension of its timeframe for reporting until the end of December 2021.
The Commission's Eleventh Interim Report set out the reasons that led it to request a further extension. It stated that arising from completion of the sworn evidence of a witness who had previously declined to assist its investigation in March 2021, the Commission was obliged to recall previous witnesses who had assisted its investigation and to contact individuals who had not previously been considered relevant to it.
The remote hearings involved concluded in May 2021 and following review of the testimonies the Commission was required to circulate relevant parts of the evidence to affected parties, some of whom subsequently provided additional documentation.
Currently, the Commission is completing an exercise in ensuring that no other parts of the evidence require disclosure.
The Interim Report also noted that outstanding tasks then to be completed by the Commission include distribution of its draft final report under section 34 of the Act to people identified or identifiable in it and consideration of any applications or submissions received as well as dealing with any applications for third party costs under section 24 of the Act.
Having considered the matter, I was of the view that given the reasons outlined in the Interim Report and the advanced stage of the Commission’s investigation, I felt it was appropriate, in the circumstances, to grant the Commission’s request. I therefore decided to grant the extension as provided for under the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 and arranged for the Interim Report to be published and laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas.
The Commission is fully independent in its investigations and other than what is published in its Interim Reports I have no information on how its investigations are proceeding.
Questions Nos. 40 to 58, inclusive, resubmitted.
Cabinet Committees
Questions (59)
Alan Kelly
Question:59. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Brexit will next meet. [48292/21]
View answerWritten answers
The Cabinet Committee on Brexit and Northern Ireland operates in accordance with established guidelines for Cabinet Committees and where appropriate, substantive issues are referred to Government for discussion and approval.
In general terms, the Cabinet Committee oversees implementation of relevant Programme for Government commitments in the area of Brexit and Northern Ireland, and ongoing relevant developments.
The Committee was formally established by Government on 6 July 2020, and had its first meeting on 29 October 2020.
The Cabinet Committee last met on 4 March 2021. The next meeting remains to be scheduled. However, relevant issues arising on Brexit and Northern Ireland are also regularly considered at meetings of the full Cabinet. The Cabinet Committee on Europe which last met on 14 October also discusses related matters.
In addition to the meetings of the full Cabinet and of Cabinet Committees, I also meet with Ministers on an individual basis to focus on particular issues where required.
Departmental Contracts
Questions (60)
Carol Nolan
Question:60. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Taoiseach if he or any official from his Department has held meetings or conducted correspondence with a company (details supplied) from 1 January 2017 to date; if his Department has engaged the services of the company for any purposes from 1 January 2017 to date; if so, the nature of such services and the costs incurred; and if a tender process was conducted. [51362/21]
View answerWritten answers
My Department has not engaged the services of the company concerned and there are no records of any meetings or correspondence with the company in question.
Departmental Contracts
Questions (61)
Mattie McGrath
Question:61. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Taoiseach the amount spent by his Department to date in 2021 for Covid-19 public communications activities; the recipients of the funds allocated; the services provided; and the tendering processes undertaken to ensure optimal value for money in tabular form. [51382/21]
View answerWritten answers
Attached is a tabular breakdown of the spend in 2021 on public advertisements in response to the Covid19 pandemic.
All of the contracts for media buying, print ads, radio ads, tv ads, social media promotion, online banner advertising and creative services were contracted through competitive processes and the Office of Government Procurement Framework contracts to ensure best value for money.
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 over fifty 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 Radio, newspaper and social elements.
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.
Campaigns have achieved impressive audience reach across all media platforms. The #AntiViral Campaign had over 5.7 million impressions by mid-December 2020 – we had communicated with over 300,000 young people approximately 5 times across the platforms building awareness of the Campaign. The AntiViral hashtag had over 1.1 million views and the Campaign’s positive sentiment was measured at over 60%.
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.
Census of Population
Questions (62)
Alan Farrell
Question:62. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Taoiseach the measures being taken to support the CSO in efforts to digitalise the Census process. [51590/21]
View answerWritten answers
On the advice of the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the Government decided on 15 September 2020 to postpone the 2021 Census to 3 April 2022.
The re-planning for Census 2022 involved revising project timelines and the introduction of new technologies to reduce further potential disruptions, including online interviewing and training.
The 2022 census will continue to be a traditional census where census questionnaires are hand delivered and hand collected by approx. 5,000 enumerators who visit each dwelling in the country. However, technology advances have been deployed in the field operation with the development of a mobile application, the Case Management System (CMS) on enumerator phones, to replace the Enumerator Record Book.
Work has also begun on planning for the next Census after Census 2022 to investigate the feasibility and steps required to conduct an online census, including what it might entail for the Central Statistics Office in regard to staffing and budgetary expenditure as well as the implications for members of the public.
Funding has been approved under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) for the technology development of an online census platform.
The CSO have been engaging with their international colleagues and taking on board their learnings, as well as engaging with the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) in regard to this process.