GOVERNMENT departments and agencies are spending more than €30million a year on an army of spin doctors.
And the true figure is likely to be much higher than the disclosed expenditure of €30,278,996 as nine departments failed to provide figures for the number of communications specialists working in State agencies under their control, or how much they are paid.
Details of the scale of massive payout on spin are set to spark public ire as the Government faces two tricky by-elections this year in Dublin Central and Galway West.
It has already been reported that the Government’s retinue of 61 spin doctors costs the taxpayer €7.5million.
The figures were obtained by Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy who asked each Government department how much it was spending on media advisers
But the new figures reveal that a vast second layer of media and communications staff consisting of 500 civil servants are also being paid by the taxpayer to communicate Government policies.
This includes State agencies, including the Office of Public Works (OPW), which boasts no fewer than 13 communications staff who are paid a combined €691,793 – higher than the total media spending in the departments of Defence and Higher Education.
The figures were obtained by Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy who asked each Government department how much it was spending on media advisers.
Based on the figures provided, Enterprise Minister Peter Burke is the biggest spender on spin.
The Longford-Westmeath TD revealed his department’s communications unit comprised a total of 31 staff at a cost of €1,580,400.60 last year.
But 10 agencies under his control, including the IDA, Enterprise Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland clocked up a bill of €4,701,308 for 64 employees.
The total bill for Minister Burke’s department and associated agencies came to €6,281,708.
Social Protection and Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht Minister Dara Calleary’s two departments and associated agencies employ no fewer than 71 communications staff at a combined cost of €4,035,582.
Longford-Westmeath TD Peter Burke revealed his department’s communications unit comprised a total of 31 staff at a cost of €1,580,400.60 last year
Justice Minister Jim O’Callagan confirmed 16 civil servants are employed directly as media and communications specialists in his department, but when communications employees working in state agencies under his remit are taken into account, the figure rises to 96
Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris has one of the lowest departmental expenditures
Mr Calleary has 25 communications staff working directly for the Department of Social Protection at a cost €1,231,592.
Media staff working in agencies under his departments include two communications specialists working for the Citizens Information Board, and three more for the CIB Abhaile Project, at a cost of €314,313, bringing the total Social Protection spend to €1,545,905.
Mr Calleary’s Department of Rural and Community Development has eight communications staff at a cost of €589,677 to the taxpayer.
However, another 33 media employees are hired by State agencies working under the remit of the same department.
These consist of the Charities Regulator, which employs six communications staff – Pobal (5), Údarás (5), the Western Development Commission (5), the Ulster Scots Agency (3), Foras na Gaeilge (2) and An Coimisinéir Teanga (1) – at a cost of €1.9million.
This bring the total number of media staff working in the Department of Rural and Community Development and agencies under its remit to 41, at a cost of €2,489,677.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callagan confirmed 16 civil servants are employed directly as media and communications specialists in his department.
But when communications employees working in state agencies that ultimately report to him are taken into account, the figure rises to 96 – at a combined cost of €3,920,411.
Foreign Affairs and Defence Minister Helen McEntee’s departments clocked up a €2.8million-plus bill for 37 communications employees.
Incorporating job shares, Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin confirmed there are 20.6 posts in his Government Information Services, costing an estimated €1.5million per annum.
In contrast, Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris has one of the lowest departmental expenditures.
His Department of Finance employs eight media staff at a cost of €600,000, the third lowest departmental figure.
In a statement Mr Harris said: ‘The Department of Finance does not engage in regular advertising and promotion of its policy work.’
Of the State agencies under the control of Finance, the Financial Services Pensions Ombudsman employs two media staff at a cost of €278,204, while the Comptroller and Auditor General has three communications staff who will cost a combined €131,867 in 2026.
The Central Bank boasts a staff of eight at a cost of €809,26. The National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) refused to reveal the cost of its five media advisers, citing confidentiality reasons.
The Revenue Commissioners have five communications staff, who are paid a combined €306,000.
Darragh O’Brien’s multi-faceted Department of Climate Change, Environment and Transport Ministries employs a flotilla of 34 media staff across his departments, at a cost of €2,362,573 to the taxpayer.
However, Minister O’Brien did not disclose the numbers employed in each agency or public body under the aegis of his departments.
Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers said his department ‘intended to deliver the communication function…. with a headcount of 13 this year’ at a total cost of €954,892.
But when the cost of agencies such as the OPW, Public Jobs (6 posts) National Shared Services (5 posts) the National Lottery Regulator (0.5posts) and the Office of the Ombudsman are factored in, Mr Chambers oversees a total of 40 media staff at a cost of €2,416,867.
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Patrick O’Donovan also oversees a multi-faceted department, which directly employs 12 communications staff at a cost of €780,469.
Mr O’Donovan did not provide figures for the agencies that ultimately report to him.
These include a diverse portfolio of agencies such as Culture Ireland, Screen Ireland, the National Cultural institutions, the Arts Council and RTÉ.
The Arts Council has a large communications team of six people. Despite this internal expertise, Minister O’Donovan recently had to step in to stop the body spending up to €50,000 on external PR advice.
RTÉ was also reported to have 14 communications specialists. However, the cash-strapped station still sought the advice of the blue-chip media relations firm Q4 on an ad-hoc basis.
Housing Minister James Browne confirmed his department employs 14 media employees at a cost of €1,118,228.
Again, however, the full extent of his spending on spin is far higher as Mr Browne also failed to provide figures for the communications costs of 25 State bodies under his department’s control.
Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley said her department has a total of 17 media staff at a cost of €960,000.
However, she also declined to provide details of the communications costs clocked up by agencies such as TUSLA who are under her remit.
Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon confirmed his department employs 13 media experts at a cost of €716,562.
Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill declined to provide figures for State agencies, telling Deputy Carthy he ‘should contact the relevant Director directly’
Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeil noted her department also employs 13 communications staff, at the slightly higher combined cost of €856,425.
She also declined to provide figures for State agencies, telling Deputy Carthy he ‘should contact the relevant Director directly’.
Higher Education Minister James Lawless’s department employed the lowest number of communications staff with eight, at a cost of €512,947.
However, Mr Lawless also did not supply details of the communications expenditure in State bodies under his remit, which includes the Higher Education Authority, the Grangegorman Development Agency, SOLAS, Taighde, Leargas, Skillnet Ireland and Quality and Qualifications Ireland.
Commenting on the vast spending on spin – and responses provided by ministers, Matt Carthy told the Mail: ‘It is clear that the Government is wasting vast amounts of public money on communications.
‘Some of this expenditure is on important public information campaigns but most of it is the Government spending taxpayers’ monies for their own promotion.
‘In 2018 Michéal Martin was scathing about the Strategic Communications Unit established by then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar which cost €5million, accusing Fine Gael – with 13 staff – of using public funds for political branding.
‘Now, as Taoiseach, he is happy to stand over even more money being wasted on the very same thing, albeit in a more underhanded manner.’
The ministerial roll-call of spin
Department Minister No of Posts Cost
ENTERPRISE Peter Burke 95 €6,281,708
JUSTICE Jim O’Callaghan 16 €3,920,411
RURAL AFFAIRS Dara Calleary 41 €2,489,677
PUBLIC EXPENDITURE Jack Chambers 40 €2,416,867
*FOREIGN AFFAIRS Helen McEntee 32 €2.2million
FINANCE Simon Harris 31 €2,016,441
SOCIAL PROTECTION Darragh Calleary 30 €1,545,905
TAOISEACH Micheál Martin 21 €1.5million
*CLIMATE CHANGE Darragh O’Brien 17 €1,272,353
*HOUSING James Browne 14 €1,118,228
*TRANSPORT Darragh O’Brien 17 €1,090,220
*CHILDREN Norma Foley 17 €960,000
*HEALTH Jennifer Carroll MacNeill 13 €856,425
*ARTS AND CULTURE Patrick O’Donovan 12 €780,469
*AGRICULTURE Martin Heydon 13 €716,562
DEFENCE Helen McEntee 5 €600,783
*HIGHER EDUCACTION James Lawless 8 €512,947
TOTAL COMMUNICATIONS STAFF: 501
TOTAL COST: €30,278,996
*Did not provide the figures for communications staff employed by State agencies under their remit
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