Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Is é sin an uair dheireanach - don tráth seo ar a laghad; b'fhéidir go mbeidh sé ann arís - go mbeidh an Teachta os ár gcomhair mar Aire Stáit le freagracht as an nGaeltacht. Gabhaim buíochas pearsanta leis as a chúirtéis i gcaitheamh an ama sin agus as an obair a rinne sé. De réir mar a thuigim, tá cásanna faoi bhráid an Choimisinéir Teanga mar nár cloíodh leis an dlí. Ní hé seo an chéad uair. Is údar buartha agus díomá é go bhfuil Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla á sárú arís agus arís eile.

Molaim an tAire Stáit as an gcúnamh atá sé ag tabhairt do na mná tí agus do na coláistí Gaeilge ach tá dhá easnamh mhór ann. B'fhéidir go bhféadfadh an tAire Stáit muid a chur ar an eolas fúthu. An mbeidh airgead ar fáil do na hionaid phobail? Bhí siad ag brath go mór ar ioncam na gcoláistí Gaeilge ó thaobh cíosa, árachais agus mar sin de. Táim ag caint faoin gcíos a n-íoctar leo agus a n-úsáideann siad é le haghaidh cothabhála agus árachais. An bhfuil aon mhachnamh á dhéanamh sa Roinn maidir leis an gceist sin?

Tá na mná tí a choinníonn scoláirí faoi scéim na bhfoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge sa samhradh ag fáil cúitimh. An bhfuil sé i gceist cúiteamh a thabhairt do na mná tí a bhí ag coinneáil Gaeilgeoirí nó scoláirí meánscoile i rith na bliana ina dtithe féin ar na hoileáin chun go bhféadfadh scoláirí freastal ar scoileanna na n-oileán? D'imigh na scoláirí i mí Mhárta. An bhfuil aon chúiteamh le déanamh leo don tréimhse idir mí Mhárta agus mí an Mheithimh?

Ó thaobh an údaráis de, an bhfuil aon airgead breise ó Roinn an Aire Stáit le cur ar fáil d'Údarás na Gaeltachta? Chuala mé an rud a dúirt sé faoi Fhiontar Éireann, ach is é an Roinn an príomhfhoinse maoinithe ag an údarás.

As the Minister of State will be aware - I will say this in English because there are islands both in the Gaeltacht and not in the Gaeltacht - when the announcement was made in relation to opening up the country and the dates were brought forward, no announcement whatsoever was made regarding the islands and this has sparked an intense debate within the islands themselves.

The first thing we must recognise is that safety has to be paramount. The health and well-being of the people on the islands has to be paramount, and I accept that. I cannot make a call as to what the Minister of State should do because I do not have the information that the Department of Health and the HSE have but different cases have been made, as the Minister of State will be aware, for islanders who live permanently on the mainland but come home every summer and for people who own houses on the island and maybe spend a month or two in the summer there. Then there is the issue of tourists who stay versus day tourists. As I said, I cannot make a call as to what way this should fall. We all must recognise that public health is absolutely paramount but in the event of it not being decided to open up the islands on the same basis as the rest of the country, will there be a special package of assistance to the businesses on the islands, many of which have mortgages and overheads?

We cannot tell them they cannot trade when other people are trading in equivalent businesses and, on the other hand, tell them they are meant to paddle their own canoe without assistance. We have to resolve this issue in a fair and safe way but in a way that recognises the massive financial pressures many businesses on the islands are under, like everywhere else. If that is the health and safety advice I will accept it, but if the date is put back then we have to do something for those businesses.