Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 362: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if podcasts are available for download by members of the public on websites maintained by his Department and its agencies; if not, his plans to introduce podcasts as a communications tool; if so, the number of times a podcast has been downloaded to date in 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32373/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Podcasts are not available for download from those websites maintained by my Department, the details of which were given to the Deputy in my reply to Question No. 373 of 27 November 2007. There are no immediate plans to introduce a podcast facility, in the case of my Department's own website, a temporary website which my Department hosts for the Sea Stallion Viking Longship project and the website of the National Archives, which is part of my Department. The issue raised by the Deputy will be considered in connection with a forthcoming IT Strategy 2008-2010 for the Department.

In the case of Culture Ireland, whose website is also currently hosted by my Department, it is planning a major upgrade of the site and is planning to have podcast content before end 2008.

The websites of the statutory agencies under the aegis of my Department are a matter for those agencies themselves.