Opposition parties have called on the Government to reveal the cost of launching its new national development plan.
Sinn Féin's Eoin Ó Broin said the event in Sligo last week was probably "the most expensive press conference in the history of the state".
"Not only was there a very fancy website ... but newspaper ads, TV ads and cinema ads. I wonder is that the first time in the history of a Government that ads promoting something like this have been in cinemas", he said.
"It did have the feel of the launch of an election campaign", he added during statements in the Dáil on Project Ireland 2040.
Fianna Fáil's Barry Cowen accused the Government of disregarding the house prior to the launch of the plan.
He said sectoral interests, including the Construction Industry Federation, the Irish Farmers Association and Ibec, were briefed about the document before any elected member of the Dáil.
He also said that selected members of the media were also provided with briefings in advance of the launch.
"The next day we had the razzmatazz in Sligo. We've seen the block booking of half page ads in national and local media", he said, and "we've seen the taking of space in our cinemas across the country".
"This is not Fine Gael's money, this is taxpayers’ money, and you'd better remember that because the taxpayer needs to know where its money is being spent and what money is being used to address the here and now in 2018, let alone what's on the never never in 2040", Deputy Cowen added.
He said his party would "cut through the spin, the jargon and the yahooing" of the plan as it is discussed in the coming months.
‘Three Billboards Outside Drogheda’ jibe & Govt accused of "orgy of PR stunts"as communications unit uses cinema advertising to sell Project Ireland 2040 message - @geraldnash in Seanad outburst @rtenews pic.twitter.com/SrURiAIgbw
— Conor McMorrow (@ConorMcMorrow) February 20, 2018
