Vol. 500 No. 4
310 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the last occasion the Internet site for her Department was updated; the frequency with which the site and content is monitored; the number of hits to this site since its construction; the number of these visits in 1998; the reason all official ministerial speeches are not included on her press office page; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4234/99]
My Department's world wide web site has not been operational since September 1997. In the intervening period, the very limited IT resources available to my Department have been directed towards higher priority projects including the Year 2000 issue. However, the Deputy will be aware of the launch in October last of the Heritage of Ireland Website, the marketing website for my Department. This website promotes the national cultural institutions, the heritage sites managed by Dúchas, the heritage service of my Department, and the inland waterways from a tourism perspective.
While still in its infancy, this site has proved a popular and critical success. It received a best website runner-up award at the Hospitality, Sales & Marketing Association International Awards last November, has been featured by computer magazine PC LIVE as one of its Top 10 December sites and has received several nominations for Ireland-on-Lines Top 10. In its first month on-line the website received 21,147 visits and 229,070 web-pages were requested.
A project to develop a single website for my Department as part of overall IT strategy is due to commence in the next few months. The project will involve the identification of material for publication and the launch of a pilot site, the development of detailed website plans and procedures, and the implementation of a fully-managed website.
In the meantime, copies of all official ministerial speeches are available from my Department's press office by fax, e-mail or post.
