Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

We will deal with amendment No. 8 later. That is fine. As Deputy Ó Broin said, if we had sight of those on future days, it would help everyone. On amendment Nos. 603 and 647, the Minister of State said what is proposed is not workable, proportionate, fair, reasonable or balanced and is overtly vague. What does the Government propose to do to address the issues we raised? If it does not like our amendments and does not accept them, will the Government bring forward amendments on this matter? There is no point in having the Gaeltacht Act 2012 and language planning on a statutory basis if it will not be given effect. Language planning is there on a legislative basis but in the detail of how it operates, there is no legislation giving effect to it. It is haphazard. It has not been implemented consistently, as we went through yesterday and gave examples. It has not been working.

It is critical that these issues are addressed in this Bill because it is a first Bill and will probably be the only planning Bill for another 25 years, let us say. While I heard from the Minister of State why he does not like the amendments I tabled, I have not heard what he intends to do to address these issues. There is a statutory basis for language plans in the Gaeltacht Act 2012. That needs to be given effect. The Planning and Development Act 2000 pre-dated the Gaeltacht Act 2012 so it did not incorporate language planning. We need to have a statutory framework around language planning and how it operates in detail, beyond what is in the Gaeltacht Act 2012. That gave us the start but it is up to this Bill to put into detail how this will operate. Without it, I do not think it will work.

I will provide one example. I raise it as one example of how it affects many people and communities. Adhna Ní Bhraonáin moved back to Spiddal in May 2023 and was offered a job in the local medical centre as a physiotherapist. She took the job but could not find anywhere to rent. She looked online and saw hundreds of Airbnbs but no one was willing to do a long-term rental. This is in a Gaeltacht area. She was very annoyed to see houses on sale in the area pitched as holiday homes, not for people in the Gaeltacht area with the language who want to work there and have the skills needed. While working in the local medical centre as a physiotherapist in a Gaeltacht area, where we need people with skills like that, she ended up living out of her van. She did not have proper access to facilities to wash or cook meals. This is how our State-run services are operating in Gaeltacht areas, with skilled, qualified staff who return to the areas unable to find housing because planning is failing Gaeltacht communities and Irish language speakers.

This has an individual impact, of course, but it also has an impact on our ability to recruit and retain people with the skills needed in Gaeltacht areas. It has a detrimental impact on the language and culture in the area. We have all the policy in the Gaeltacht Act 2012 about how this is meant to be addressed through language planning. It is not fleshed out; this is the place to flesh it out. I tabled amendments Nos. 603 and 647 that propose to do that. I have not heard from the Minister of State what he intends to do. If he does not like my amendments, fair enough. I do not take that personally. What will the Minister of State do to address this? Does he think thestatus quois working? Does he accept it is failing Gaeltacht communities? What does he propose to do about it?