Mr. David Cagney:

I am aware of informal networks within the Department where people who enjoy conversing in Irish with colleagues do so. Formally, the Department has no structure in place in that regard. Looking again at the wider diversity challenge in the Civil Service and indeed in the public service, that is again a key call-out in our Civil Service Renewal 2030 strategy. We will certainly be seeing to how we can leverage that desire on the part of people again to create and support networks which will obviously include people who would wish to converse as Gaeilge, even if it is just socially in the course of their work.

Returning to the target issue which is very much the focus of our thinking, no one solution is going to solve this particular issue. There needs to be a multiple range of initiatives in order to achieve this quite challenging target.