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

I acknowledge what the Minister of State has said. In all of the discussions thus far on the Irish language and the change in tack that has come about since the discussions on the Official Languages Acts, and the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 in particular, there is an acceptance that things had gone awry and that our job is to set the system on a proper course that recognises the rights of Irish speakers. Similar to other amendments, I can take the Minister of State at his word.

The biggest problem I have had is where on election day, people have found a breach and it is too late to change that. All the apologies thereafter are too late where there is an affront to somebody who is an Irish speaker. We have to find a mechanism for this although I acknowledge that people have worked hard to try to ensure there is no ignoring of those rights, which I have acknowledged, and mistakes happen. People can accept mistakes but sometimes the same mistake is repeated election after election. Material has been produced in the past by the Referendum Commission which has not been the same. Two different messages went out with a more simplified message in Irish or a message that you had to root out. There is a frustration in Irish language circles and in Gaeltacht areas over the years because they will get an apology and the apology will sit there until the next mistake is made.

I am happy enough to accept the Minister of State's bona fides and what he has said and to withdraw these amendments. However, there needs to be some mechanism for when the fault lies with the commission or with one of the agents whereby action must be taken to ensure it does not happen again. This is not about punishing somebody but about ensuring that lessons are learned and that as we grow as a country and nation, we address problems as they arise.