Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 30 Jan 2001

Vol. 529 No. 1

Written Answers. - Departmental E-mail System.

Seán Haughey

Question:

943 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the e-mail address to which members of the public should send queries relating to her Department; if her Department routinely replies to e-mails sent by the public; the timescale for such responses; if e-mail inquiries addressed to officials in her Department are also processed within that timescale; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1058/01]

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (Miss de Valera): The e-mail address to which members of the public should send queries relating to my Department is [e-mail]. The e-mails received at this address are dealt with on a daily basis by the press and information office. Queries are either replied to immediately, or forwarded to the section concerned.

My Department's quality customer service action plan states that it is the policy of the Department to reply definitively, if possible within 20 working days of receipt to all correspondence where a response is required. Otherwise an interim reply is to issue. This applies to all correspondence, written or electronic. Where appropriate, with regard to privacy and the nature of the response itself, electronic correspondence is replied to by e-mail.