Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 25 October 2016

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs

Business of Joint Committee

11:00 am

Photo of Trevor Ó ClochartaighTrevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Caithfidh mé a rá go gceapaim nach gceart dúinn glacadh leis an rud seo atá tar éis tarlú. Feicim nach dtarlaíonn sé in aon chomhchoiste eile a bhfuilim tar éis a bheith páirteach ann le roinnt blianta anuas. Nuair a thugtar cuireadh d'Aire, tagann sé nó sí isteach. Ba chóir go dtabharfaí tosaíocht do chomhchoiste. I gcead don mhéid a dúradh faoin Aire a bheith ag plé cúrsaí sa Dáil, nílimse sa Dáil agus tá neart ceisteanna gur mhaith liomsa a chur ar an Aire maidir leis an maoiniú do na comhlachtaí Leader, cúrsaí Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta agus an ciorradh mór a rinneadh ar bhuiséad na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta sa bhuiséad atá le teacht.

It is totally unacceptable that the Minister declined to come to the meeting today. I note that all other members rearranged their schedules to make sure that they were here. It is not just a run-of-the-mill meeting. The issues that were raised before the committee previously by the West Cork Development Partnership and Comhar na nOileán are very prevalent. There is a timescale factor involved. They are under severe pressure. The board of Comhar na nOileán has put two employees on protective notice because of the uncertainty over Leader funding. Those two people are to be let go at the end of the month. That is why we needed an urgent hearing. The Minister is not taking it seriously and if she was otherwise engaged, the Minister of State and the officials should have been made available to come in and explain what is happening on the ground.

With regard to the budgetary process, we know that there is a lot of horse-trading going on post budget over the allocations that are going to be made.

We in the Irish language community are very unhappy that there has been such a severe cut to Irish language funding. There has been a €6 million cut in capital funding. We wanted to make that case to the Minister today. It is totally unacceptable that she is not here. She should make herself available. She has been dodging media interviews on the Irish language issue as well stating that she has devolved those responsibilities to the Minister of State. If that is the case, the Minister should have known that when she got the invite and the Minister of State should have been made available to appear before the committee. It is totally unacceptable and shows a bit of drochmheas on the committee that she is not here. I strongly suggest that the Chairman write to the Department stating that it is not acceptable and that we would expect her to come in as soon as possible to deal, in particular, with these time pertinent issues that are urgent for those involved.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.