The total "estimated cost" to the Exchequer of the divorce referendum last November was £3,541,270. Exchequer costs for "the operation and administration" of the referendum have been "provisionally estimated" at £2,804,000 pending finalisation of returns from constituencies. A Government advertising contract, originally for £418,365, was revised down to £397,953 after the Supreme Court decided the Government was in breach of the Constitution in using public money to promote a vote in favour of divorce. A leaflet promoting a vote for divorce - 275,000 copies of which had been printed when the Supreme - Court made its ruling - cost £13,729, though it could not be distributed.
The Department of Equality and Law Reform spent £485,000 on the referendum, including £201,000 for media advertising, £179,000 for leaflet printing and distribution, £42,000 on opinion polls, £29,000 on professional fees, and £34,000 on "miscellaneous" items. The Department of the Environment spent £14,102 on a campaign encouraging people to vote, while the Council for the Status of Women spent £20,969 (in 1994) and £7,895 "for activities relating to the divorce campaign" from a grant provided by the Department of Equality and Law Reform. The Ad-Hoc Commission on Referendum Information spent £201,681, with a balance of £7,623 paid this year relating to the service.