Various search tools have been used to allow users to search the Houses Web sites.

PLWeb

• Search Historical Debates 
• Search Achtanna 

An old but effective search engine “PLWeb” is used to provide searching on the following hugh Web sites:

• Historical Debates
  http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/index.html
• Achtanna.oireachtas.ie or Acts.oireachtas.ie
  http://achtanna.oireachtas.ie/ or http://acts.oireachtas.ie/

The search index is updated when new data is added. DC Metadata is added to the pages, adding to the search functionality.

dtSearch

http://acts2.oireachtas.ie/dtSearch_english.html

In order to allow users to see what Acts are available on-line in both Irish and English, an alternative version of Achtanna.ie is available as achtanna2.oireachtas.ie or acts2.oireachtas.ie using the dtsearch search engine is provided:

• http://achtanna2.oireachtas.ie/ or
• http://acts2.oireachtas.ie/

Google

• http://search.gov.ie/ 
• http://search.gov.ie/sites/www.oireachtas.ie/ - Main Oireachtas site
• http://search.gov.ie/sites/debates.oireachtas.ie - Current Debates

A Google appliance and on-line Google tools are available for users who wish to search the other Oireachtas sites:

• Main or portal site:
  http://www.oireachtas.ie/ViewDoc.asp?fn=/home.asp
• Current or Latest Debates:
  http://debates.oireachtas.ie/Main.aspx
• http://ceanncomhairle.oireachtas.ie/default.asp
• http://cathaoirleach.oireachtas.ie/default.asp
• etc.

Lucene

Lucene is used for the committee reports site under development.

Other Search engines

A number of other search engines were used over the years, including:

• Lotus Notes based search may have been available in 1996 when the site was Notes based.
• 1997 … A search tools provided by gov.ie designed by a student I believe!
• FrontPage search – specific to a particular Web – the site soon grew too big for this search engine
• Open Objects search engine was used before Google
• Current debates has a search facility within each day’s debates
  see Dáil 10 July 2008 - ”Find Text Today”
• The members database has a search facility built in
  http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/
• The order papers page has its own search facility
• You can search within a PDF file as long as it is not scanned. Be careful with Irish words as DíOSPóIREACHTAí appears as DI´OSPO´ IREACHTAI´

Issues

1. The Oireachtas Web site is very large, with millions of pages. Search engines can get very expensive when required to index so many pages.
2. Configuring the search engine to index pages served up by a CMS or XML based system, where multiple versions of the same page are available on-line, and where you have heterogeneous technologies on a site, can be problematic, to say the least!
3. Where PDF files are used extensively in the site, and where Irish language characters are used in PDF documents, the search engines seem unable to interpret the Irish text. Such characters would include: ÁÉÍÓÚ and áéíóú. This means that Irish language based searching is difficult.

I was contacted by a man who was carrying out research into the free travel scheme for old age pensioners, and who had difficulties searching the Historical Debates for information about the commencement of the scheme. He though that it was around 1967.

Using the PLWeb search tool on the Historical Debates Web site, searching for Free Travel in “headings” there were 19 hits for Houses Business = “Questions”, including the following:

Dáil Éireann – Volume 227 – 11 April, 1967

Financial Statement. – Budget, 1967.

Current Budget, 1966-67—outturn

Minister for Finance (Mr. Haughey)

…

Free electricity and transport for old age pensioners

…

A scheme is also being worked out in consultation with CIE whereby old age and blind pensioners will be able to travel free of charge on CIE buses and trains during periods when traffic is not heavy. It will be introduced during the course of the next few months.

The net cost of the schemes, as agreed after some experience of their operation, will be reimbursed to the ESB and CIE from public funds.

Dáil Éireann – Volume 228 – 24 May, 1967

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. – Free Travel for Old Age Pensioners.

Mr. Clinton

27. Mr. Clinton asked the Minister for Finance when free off-peak travel for old age pensioners will start.

Mr. Haughey: While I am not in a position to announce a specific date at this stage, I hope to have the scheme in operation in July.

Dáil Éireann – Volume 230 – 20 July, 1967

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. – Free Travel for Old Age Pensioners.

Mr. S. Dunne

41. Mr. S. Dunne asked the Minister for Social Welfare the conditions under which free travel facilities are afforded to old age pensioners.

Mr. J. Brennan:The free travel facilities on CIE services are afforded to old age and blind pensioners who are in possession of a current pension book to which has been affixed a notice setting out the conditions under which the concession operates.  …

Dáil Éireann – Volume 230 – 24 October, 1967

Committee on Finance. – Vote No. 47—Social Welfare.

Minister for Social Welfare (Mr. J. Brennan): I move:

That a sum not exceeding £42,556,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1968, for the Salaries and Expenses of the Office of the Minister for Social Welfare, for certain Services administered by that Office, for payments to the Social Insurance Fund, and for Sundry Grants…

• Revised Estimates Volume 1967 (and subsequent years), contains detail of expenditure estimates (budgets), each estimate (budget) or “vote” is taken as a separate vote in the Dáil, but may be referred to a committee for debate.
• The Appropriation Act (annual) give statutory effect to the estimates.
• Appropriation Accounts (annual) give details of actual expenditure
• Report of the Committee of Public Accounts on the Appropriation Accounts (annual)