Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 58: To ask the Minister for Arts; Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will outline, in relation to the Gathering event planned for 2013, if he is considering any genealogical element to the proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12636/12]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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While the Gathering event is primarily a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I am conscious of the tourism potential of genealogy for attracting the diaspora to our shores. Therefore, I welcome my fellow Minister's initiative. He has stated he expects the Gathering to be one of the biggest tourism initiatives ever to be undertaken in Ireland. It will be a year-long event in 2013 when people at home and abroad can play a part in the country's recovery, potentially bringing in 325,000 extra tourists and providing a major economic stimulus.

The Gathering is a hugely important and timely initiative for the tourism sector, one which my Department and the national cultural institutions which operate under its aegis are very pleased to support and participate in. In that context, officials from my Department are working closely with their colleagues in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and agencies within its ambit - Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland - on cultural, genealogical and heritage tourism matters. I see the Gathering as an excellent opportunity to enhance genealogical tourism.

Genealogical records made available through my Department have been extremely popular with the public at home and abroad. The success of the digitisation project of the 1901-1911 census is the best proof of this. The website, hosted and managed by the National Archives of Ireland, has proved to be phenomenally popular, with over 648 million hits and more than 13 million individual visits to date. The certificate of Irish heritage has now been linked with the site.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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I agree with the Minister that the online availability of the 1901 and 1911 census information provides people with an opportunity to undertake research in advance of their arrival here. In the absence of many of the 19th century census records, the General Register Office which provides information on births, marriages and deaths is important. We must put our best foot forward in this regard. Digitisation of records enables people to carry out research in advance and thus increases the likelihood of their coming here. While there is an online facility for researching births, marriages and deaths, it is part of the Church of Latter Day Saints' website rather than the website of the General Register Office, which I do not understand. Searching online is much simpler than having to physically search through large indexes in the General Register Office located in the Irish Life Mall. Much more needs to be done in this regard, from which we could get a decent return. I ask the Minister to address this issue in conjunction with other relevant Departments, if necessary.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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While I agree with the Deputy, I do not have direct responsibility for the General Register Office. The Deputy will be aware that in the autumn I brought together all of those involved in the country in genealogy. We had a successful forum, under the chairmanship of Judge McMahon, in the National Library, at which this issue was raised. I am awaiting a report from the group. The General Register Office is an important source of information. I agree with the Deputy that the more information we can make available to the Diaspora the better and the more sources there are through which people can make connections and trace their roots, the more interest there will be . We must ensure all of the information is digitised and made available to a global audience. I previously informed the Deputy that I intended to introduce legislation to enable digitisation of the 1926 census returns. The legislation has been approved by the Cabinet. Following its enactment, I will have to come up with the resources to implement it. I cannot start the process until the enabling legislation has been passed. It is hoped it will be ready in June or July.

I am aware of the importance of this issue to the Deputy. I agree that it is important we make every source of information available to allow people, irrespective of where they are in the world, to make a connection with this country.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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When does the Minister expect to receive the report from Judge McMahon? Also, has the cost of implementing the enabling legislation been quantified?

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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There are various ways of approaching this matter. Obviously, special provision will have to be made. We could, for example, consider putting in place an agreement with a person or body on the provision of this information and the person or body could recoup the costs over time by way of charging for the information provided. I am not suggesting that will be the ultimate solution, but it is a possibility. It is important that the enabling legislation to allow this happen is put in place first.