Vol. 546 No. 5
200 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the number of hits received by his Department's website for the year 2001; the number of staff assigned to maintain the website; the cost of maintaining the website for 2001; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32473/01]
My Department's main web-site (www.environ.ie) has registered 7,372,131 hits in the period 1 January 2001 to midday on 12 December 2001. The updating and maintenance of the site is carried out by a private company on my Department's behalf and they have been paid IR£6,510, 8,266, to date in 2001 in respect of their services.
The other web-site operated by my Department (www.irishspatialstrategy.ie) has registered 17,432 hits and is also maintained by a private company at a cost to date in 2001 of £360, 457.
The duties of one higher executive officer, who works on a part-time basis for my Department, include, among other responsibilities, general oversight of the content, structure and usability of my Department's main website and the development of a new site to the highest levels of accessibility. In addition, a limited number of other members of my Department's staff liaise on an ad-hoc basis as necessary with the companies which deliver the updating and maintenance of the sites. In this light, it is not practicable to provide, at this stage, fully detailed information on these staff costs.
