Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The section into which this is proposed to be inserted is the one that deals with the functions of An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas. It sets out in section 9 the functions of An tÚdarás in planning higher education provision and research and it lists a number of functions. They are not as explicit as we would like in its function relating to the Irish language. That is why we believe that one of the functions should be to plan for a progressive increase of opportunities to study and conduct research through the medium of Irish. At the moment that is not available for students. While there are 16,000 students who pursue their education through Irish at second level they do not have the opportunity to continue their studies as Gaeilge. There are some notable exceptions and there is progress being made but the Bill is not explicit enough in our view in terms of the functions of the An tÚdarás that they must plan for Irish-medium higher education provision at a much greater rate than it has to date and also that it should also have a duty not only in what is set out in the Bill so far to meet the needs of the individuals of businesses and enterprise, professions and so on but also to meet the needs of Gaeltacht communities.

This duty should also cover Irish speakers nationally, as well as, for instance, the EU institutions that have specific needs in respect of the Irish language given the language's recognition and the number of translators that they set out in their requirements.

One of the big changes that is going to be, for want of a better term, forced upon the Irish public service results from our passage of the Official Languages Act (Amendment) 2021 earlier this year. As an Oireachtas we have now set a target of 20% of all recruits in this regard. Most of the recruits to the Civil Service and public service have been coming from universities at certain grades but if we are to try to reflect the demand for 20% of recruits to the service, it will not be at clerical officer or messenger level or grade, which is the grade I was at when I was in the Civil Service and I believe they got rid of after I left. There is a need for our universities to provide courses so that we have the ability to recruit those who are fluent in the Irish language and, therefore, it is required, not just because of the Minister’s amendment, but where there is a function of an t-Údarás with regard to the promotion and use of the Irish language. That amendment is well and fine but our suggestions in amendments Nos. 22 and 23 go further than that where they refer not just to the promotion and use of the Irish language but specifically address the provision that is now required under the Official Languages Act (Amendment) 2021, and to also cater for a need or a discrimination in some ways for generations, where there was no provision of Irish language courses in all aspects.

The outliers in this debate are Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh, which always had a specific role, and Dublin City University, DCU. These universities proved that a successful course can be run and a number of people can come through a course, such as in the Fiontar section of DCU where people received business training and the university conducted out its course entirely through the Irish language. I went to UCD, however, where there was very little in that regard. I could study Irish if I wanted, which I did, but I could not study history through Irish. I could sit exams in Irish but not study it. If I wanted to study history at the time, I would have to have attended University College Galway, UCG, as it was at the time, and that is still the case today. How many years later is it now and the provision has not increased.

One of the issues we will encounter later, where I have mentioned the 16,000 students at second level, is that there are even more students at primary school level. We do not have the exact figures as to how many students are proficient in the Irish language or who attend Irish language schools at university level. There are pupils who attend English-speaking schools who are fluent in Irish and who would also like to study through the Irish language, so there is a mismatch there. Amendments Nos. 22 and 23 try to capture that and reflect it in greater functions in an t-Údarás.