Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 3 June 2021
Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach
Estimates for Public Services 2021 (Resumed)
Vote 1 - President's Establishment (Revised)
Vote 2 - Department of the Taoiseach (Revised)
Vote 3 - Office of the Attorney General (Revised)
Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office (Revised)
Vote 5 - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Revised)
Vote 6 - Office of the Chief State Solicitor (Revised)
Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source
It is a very good suggestion. The questions and follow-on questions have already been set. My understanding is that much of the paperwork around the census has already been printed in preparation for what would have gone ahead this year. I will ask my officials to take the Deputy's suggestion back as part of considerations for the 2026 census. We obviously want to get an in-depth picture of the Irish language in every community, as the Deputy said, and be able to respond properly to that. Unfortunately, the one thing the census has shown is the need to try to rebalance the trend in the right direction with everything else we are trying to do with the Irish language. I know the Deputy shares that aim. I am very much open to allowing her, or anyone else, engage prior to the 2026 census. There is a methodical process around that where a range of questions and options are examined. We will take the Deputy's feedback on that as well.
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