4298. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht to provide a detailed breakdown of spending on media training or strategic consultants by his Department and all bodies under his aegis in preparation for Oireachtas committees since 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58649/26]

In respect of my Department there was no spend on media training or strategic consultants for Oireachtas Committee preparation from 2022 to date. In 2024 six members of staff undertook a general training course on Oireachtas committees, provided through One Learning, at an estimated total cost of €660.

There are eight agencies under the remit of my Department: Charities Regulator, Western Development Commission, Water Safety Ireland, Pobal, Office of An Coimisinéir Teanga, Údarás na Gaeltachta, An Foras Teanga, and the Ulster Scots Agency. These agencies are independent legal entities responsible for managing their own corporate affairs, including provision of training, in compliance with their statutory obligations and the obligations of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies.

Two of these agencies, Údarás na Gaeltachta and Pobal, have identified costs for media training or consultants in preparation for Oireachtas Committees during the period in question.

The overall costs of such training for the Department and its agencies over the period in question was €13,641.32 with the breakdown per year provided in the table below.