Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 May 2018
201. Deputy Pat Casey asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the expenditure on the Rebuilding Ireland website and public relations since its inception in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22782/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has not incurred any expenditure on public relations since 2016. My Department’s Press Office provides public relations services and the engagement of external expertise is generally only considered where the issues involved require specific expert skills that are not readily available within the Department.
With regard to the Government's Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, a key part of its successful implementation is ensuring that all stakeholders and the wider public are fully aware of the commitments, understand the range of initiatives and actions being rolled out, and can access relevant and up-to-date information and reporting on progress. In this context, the overall cost to date of the consultation, communication and engagement strategy associated with Rebuilding Ireland is approximately €156,000 (incl. VAT). This includes:
- the development and management of a dedicated Rebuilding Ireland website, www.rebuildingireland.ie, for which total investment to date has been approximately €92,800 (incl. VAT);
- in addition to the standard provision of text and graphic information to view and download, the facilitation of engagement with the general public through the use of video presentations and social media, at a cost of approximately €61,000 (incl. VAT) to date; and
- costs of approximately €2,200 which arose in relation to one of a number of Pillar specific launches which took place during the launch phase of the Action Plan to build implementation momentum by allowing for a deeper focus on specific Pillar areas.
