Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 November 2019
255. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount spent by her Department and each agency under the aegis of her Department on the National Ploughing Championships in each of the years 2016 to 2018 and to date in 2019, by online advertising, offline advertising, promotional material, wages, photography, stand rental and other costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49539/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has participated in the National Ploughing Championships over the past number of years and it provides an important opportunity for face-to-face engagement with our customers and the public.
In 2019, for the first time, my Department attended as part of the Government of Ireland village. The central Government of Ireland’s presence at the 2019 National Ploughing Championships (NPC) focused on delivering supports and services that citizens need, in a format that is accessible and most relevant for visitors.
My Department had an enhanced presence at the NPC in 2019 including representation from five key business areas of the Department deemed most relevant to attendees. These included the JobsIreland team who provided information on job opportunities and employer supports, representatives from State Pensions team, and also staff from the MyWelfare team. General scheme and support information was provide by staff from the Communications and Customer Services team.
As with previous years, staff also provided general information and supplied customers with information booklets, forms and guides to our services where relevant. My Department uses a reusable and reconfigurable stand for attendance the National Ploughing Championships and similar events. Stand installation is provided by a contractor and costs of this are included in the Department's figures in the table.
My Department does not commission promotional material or literature specifically for the National Ploughing Championships.
This year my Department was the lead exhibitor and had a coordinating role for the Business, Employment Welfare and Tax marquee which included the Revenue Commissioners, the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, the National Childcare Scheme, CSO and the Workplace Relations Commission.
Information on the Citizens Information Board will take longer to collate and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
DEASP National Ploughing Championships 2016 - 2019
|
Year |
DEASP costs |
DEASP staffing |
|
2019 |
€28,676.63 |
20 staff in attendance each day on average |
|
2018 |
€9,571.50 |
8 each day on average |
|
2017 |
€7,129.50 |
6 - 8 staff each day |
|
2016 |
€5,530.50 |
6 - 8 staff each day |
