Dr. Pádraig Ó Tiarnaigh:

Gabhaim buíochas le Mr. Maskey, MP, as an cheist thábhachtach sin. I thank him for that question. I suppose Mr. Maskey, MP, put his finger on it when he said we are a bit hamstrung with Covid. We have to be aware that it would be irresponsible for us to take 10,000 people into the centre of Belfast for an Irish language march. As much as I would like to do that and as much as we are raring to go, and we believe the community would support it, now is not the time for that sort of activism or for organising around that. That does not mean we cannot be creative in what else we do. We have sought meetings with the Northern Ireland Office, NIO, to advocate. Through the Secretary of State, Mr. Brandon Lewis, MP, we will be meeting with the Minister of State, Mr. Walker, from the NIO in the coming weeks. We will definitely be looking to move this campaign to Westminster as well.

One of the important things we have not mentioned here in terms of the legal framework behind this is that not only is there the Good Friday Agreement, St. Andrews Agreement and New Decade/New Approach, but, in 2001, the British Government signed the European Charter for Regional Minority Languages for Irish in the North. COMEX, which is the committee of experts from the Council of Europe that oversees the implementation of that charter, conducts monitoring rounds on how each member states is implementing its obligations. Systematically, one can be sure it will be hugely critical of the British Government regarding the implementation of the Irish language part of its obligations in terms of the European charter. Most recently, in January, COMEX released its fifth monitoring report which made strong recommendations to bring forward a strong Irish language policy, legislation and strategy. When COMEX seeks a response from the British Government, usually what we get is a blank page on the Irish language. Where the British Government's report for Welsh, for Gallic in Scotland and for Cornish, Manx and other regional minority languages could span to ten, 15, 20 or 25 pages, we do not even get as much as two paragraphs.

It would be remiss of us not to say there are extra duties and commitments that are outstanding that tie in to the Good Friday Agreement, and not only the European Charter but the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. There is a host of legislation and commitments here that are outstanding. To be honest, it is hugely frustrating because one constantly feels, from week to week, one is being shafted, one is being treated, as Dr. Comer said, as second-class citizens, and one is being treated with total disrespect in terms of how Welsh speakers and Scots speakers are treated. We will be moving that campaign forward and bringing those issues to the various stakeholders, whether in Westminster or back to Irish Government. We will continue our ongoing lobbying with the Executive office and with various Ministers within the Executive. We have commitments regarding signage and we have an ask around Irish language signage that comes from the European Charter. We will bring that to the infrastructure Minister.

Part of the New Decade/New Approach was around the repeal of the final penal law in Ireland, the 1737 justice Act which bans Irish speakers from using Irish in the courts. It is shocking to think that here we are in 2021 and there is a penal law banning me from using Irish in court. We will have a justice Minister - I am sure Dr. Farry, MP, is listening - who we could lobby. We would not have to wait on the New Decade/New Approach legislation going through to repeal the 1737 justice Act. There is plenty we can be getting on with but, definitely, the main part of our work is getting the legislation on the books and getting a strong strategy through. We do not want a weak strategy that does not have any impact. We need to get the best possible provisions through to help an aspiring community reach its full potential here in the North.