Mr. John Slyne:

I take the opportunity to thank the joint committee and our colleagues from Eneclann for inviting us to participate in what we believe is an important discussion in helping to create a focus on capturing the full value of our genealogical heritage. I am the finance director for Ancestry International and the rest of the delegation from Ancestry.com consists of Mr. Brad Argent, director for international content; Mr. Eric Booth, senior international marketing manager; and Ms Rhona Murray who is also from the international content side.

As most members will be aware, Ancestry.com has been the global leader in the family history sector for over 20 years and brought an extensive and unique collection of over 12 billion historical records online and acquired over 2.7 million subscribers globally. We have recently established our international headquarters in Dublin on Sir John Rogerson's Quay. This represents an exciting new investment by the company in its international division and highlights its focus on long-term growth. We have 75 employees in Dublin focused on functions which include accounting, financial planning and analysis, analytics, marketing, product development and member services and hope to grow this number further in the years ahead.

I will turn to the opportunity for economic growth through Irish genealogy. With The Gathering initiative concluding, we believe there is a unique opportunity to leverage its success by enabling the international family history community to reconnect with Ireland and utilise the genealogy sector as a stimulus for economic growth. There is an Irish Diaspora of an estimated 80 million worldwide and we believe there are further opportunities to use the genealogical sector as the focal point for encouraging greater footfall towards Ireland. As we have outlined in our written submission, to enable Ireland to leverage this fully, we need to focus on improving access to records online, as well as extending their reach both domestically and globally in order to ensure Ireland maximises the full potential of our genealogical heritage. It is well known that a large number of Irish people emigrated to the United States. Ancestry.com has a significant North American market that it can easily leverage to promote Irish genealogical heritage. Providing for greater accessibility to these records both domestically and internationally will also drive employment opportunities both in public archives and repositories, as well as within commercial entities, to cater for the increased demand. Collaborative content projects also enable us to overcome funding issues and generate a revenue stream which can help to alleviate potential resourcing demands on the State.

To be clear, Ancestry.com can help. We concur with the recommendations presented earlier on Tuesday around the facilities of the General Register Office and revisiting the 100 year rule. We also believe that to enable us as a sector to realise the benefits genealogy can provide and create the economic stimulus, a collaborative approach between all of the relevant parties is key to ensure we are developing a focused plan that can deliver in the short, medium and long term. Experience tells us it would work. We have seen at first-hand through our involvement in local projects such as the full digitisation of the Morpeth testimonial roll how improved access can act as a catalyst for international users to visit Ireland. Recent press on President Ronald Reagan's great-great grandfather's signature on the pre-Famine roll is an obvious example. Another perfect example is the growth of Ancestry.com in DNA testing for genealogical purposes. Recent advances are providing an international audience with an ability to gain a more granular insight into their ethnicity, of which Ireland is a key region. Coupled with increased access to vital records, this initial and often surprising first connection with the country of Ireland within one's ethnicity can provide more contextual reasons to create a meaningful connection with Ireland and, therefore, a reason to visit.

While there are challenges to overcome, the genealogy sector provides the perfect platform to build on the success of The Gathering initiative and ensure a sustained stimulus for economic growth through tourism and grassroots genealogy. We have a great opportunity to make a significant contribution to economic recovery in Ireland. However, to enable us to do this, a collaborative approach with all of the relevant bodies will be key to ensuring we overcome the challenges we face on the accessibility of records and how we reach the right audiences. As a business, Ancestry.com has the expertise and resources required to make a significant contribution to the development of this plan and it is something we look forward to being involved in.