Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The process is the same. There certainly will not be a lower standard, such as the Senator mentioned, or anything like that depending on the language people speak. We have asked that people be proficient in at least one language other than English. We are not singling out Irish or any other language and creating a different process. There is obviously a physical test that takes place in addition to an aptitude test and interview processes. That interview stage has already started. Everybody goes through the same process but we hope that the fact that we have three times as many people applying in Irish as the last time will, by its very nature, mean that more such people will be successful in the end. It is very hard to say what the numbers might be but, again, the very fact that there has been such a significant increase in the number applying is a very positive start. There will not be a separate process, however.