Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 503: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the number of staff in his Department that are provided with a blackberry device or similar mobile e-mail equipment. [34216/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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A total of 28 staff in my Department have been provided with mobile email devices. In addition, the National Archives, which is also part of my Department, has provided such devices to 13 members of its staff.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 504: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the number of databases used by his Department; and the number of these that are wholly and partly operated by external organisations or individuals and operated solely within his Department. [34231/07]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 507: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he is satisfied that personal information relating to members of the public held on his departmental databases is safe from hackers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34276/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 504 and 507 together.

A total of 23 databases are currently in operational use in my Department. Of these, 18 databases are operated entirely by my Department and two are operated entirely outside of the Department by the Oireachtas. The three remaining databases are hosted by other civil service organisations, that is to say they are essentially owned by those organisations but my Department can access them in order to perform services and to provide information which is particular to my Department alone. In addition, the National Archives, an institution which is also part of my Department, presently has twelve database systems in use in its office which are all fully operated and managed within the National Archives IT network.

I am satisfied that the best possible preventative and security measures are in place to restrict external access to the information in all of the databases as outlined. These measures include software facilities such as 'firewall' protection systems and login and password security, both to access the network and then to access the databases available on the network. There is also comprehensive protection against computer viruses and so-called 'spam' emailing. Access to the databases and to any personal data therein is limited only to those staff authorised to carry out duties in relation to such data.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 505: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the number of information technology projects undertaken by or for his Department since 2004 that have been delivered over budget, after their original deadline, on budget, under budget, on their original deadline and ahead of their original deadline; and if he will present the information in tabular readable form. [34246/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's IT services assist the other divisions in the Department in meeting their objectives and providing the best possible service to the public. To that end, while no major information technology-only projects have been undertaken in that period, the IT Unit has had a significant role in the various projects undertaken by the Department which have had a far wider context than IT. During the period in question those projects include decentralisation and new financial and human resource management systems.

The National Archives, an institution which is also part of my Department, currently has one major information technology project in progress. This project, which was launched in December 2005, involves the digitisation and making available online (in searchable format) of the 1901 and 1911 Census of Ireland forms and information. The project, which is being carried out in partnership with the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is due for completion by end June 2009. The first phase of the project, data for Dublin in 1911, was launched on 3rd December 2007. The overall cost, including application development, hardware, hosting and contextual/historical research is estimated at €4,600,000.