Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 212: To ask the Minister for Finance the position regarding the Civil Service language service; if he will outline its role; the amount of money spent by the service in each if the years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and to date in 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40367/10]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Language training programmes in the civil service are provided by Gaeleagras and the Civil Service Language Centre which operate under the aegis of the Civil Service Training and Development Centre in my Department.

Gaeleagras

Gaeleagras delivers training in the Irish Language to civil servants to enable Departments to meet their obligations under the Official Languages Act, 2003. It provides accredited Irish Language courses at its offices in Lansdowne House, Dublin and specialised in-house training to Departments and Offices. In addition, Gaeleagras organises a number of scholarship programmes each year in Gaelteacht areas; it provides a confidential translation service for this Department and a translation service for official publications. It is also responsible for the Irish Proficiency Test throughout the wider civil service.

Costs for Gaeleagras cover the salaries of teaching staff (whole-time and part-time) and general expenditure associated with the provision of Gaeleagras's services. Details for the period requested are as follows:

Civil Service Language Centre

The Civil Service Language Centre (CSLC) delivers training to civil servants (including members of An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces) in modern European languages, Mandarin and Irish Sign Language. Courses are available in the following languages: French; German; Irish Sign Language; Italian; Polish; Russian; Spanish; Standard Mandarin. Programmes are delivered by a team of part-time language trainers and a director of tuition. Training is facilitated in Departmental offices in Lansdowne House, Dublin and Tullamore. A translation service for Government Departments and Offices is also provided.

Costs associated with the provision of this service, apart from administrative and incidental costs, derive from the salaries paid to the Director and the cohort of part-time teachers delivering the training programmes. Details for the period requested are as follows:

Full-time teaching staff, on secondment from the Department of Education and Skills, were engaged by the CSLC prior to September 2007. Details of their salaries for the academic years in question are as follows: