Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is a broad subject here and there are specifics. I will do my level best to cover them all together. I can come in now. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta O’Callaghan as ucht an leasaithe. Ní féidir liom glacadh leis. Tá brón orm faoin sin. Níl ceist na tithíochta sa Ghaeltacht éasca ar chor ar bith. Tá na treoirlínte beagnach críochnaithe. Táim sásta go mbeidh siad os comhair an phobail mar thaispeántas roimh an Cháisc. Bhí mé ag caint leis an Teachta Ó Snodaigh faoi sin. Nílim sásta nach bhfuil sé déanta anois ach táim cinnte go mbeidh mé ábalta na treoirlínte a chur os comhair an phobail thart ar an Cháisc.

I cannot accept the amendment as it is. We have worked hard on the treoirlínte, the regulations, and I intend to put them out in draft form for public consultation. It is really important we consult our Gaeltacht communities too. I fully respect the thrust of the case the Deputy has put forward. Anyone who knows me knows I have, as we all do here, a particular interest in the Gaeltacht and making sure we can grow Gaeltacht communities, grow the language and protect the language. Not all of that is required in primary legislation. To make a general point, from talking to Gaeltacht communities, which I do regularly, like bhuail mé le Conradh na Gaeilge cheana agus beidh cruinniú agam Dé Luain seo chugainn le Bánú i gContae na Gaillimhe. I am meeting Bánú on Monday to discuss some matters with its members.

Primary legislation, in being very prescriptive as to what is needed, can in many instances have unintended consequences. Regulations are the way forward, because importantly, we will have to see how those regulations actually work. That is why I want to go out to the communities for public consultation on the regulations. I have given the Deputy a timeframe there. I expect it around Easter. Not all the work is concluded. Deputy Ó Snodaigh will know this too. There have been some complications with other Departments. I believe that is nearing completion now.

Let us take any of our Gaeltacht areas. If you take this instance, and any of our Gaeltacht areas where you have Irish speakers, ba mhaith liom an teanga a spreagadh sa Ghaeltacht freisin agus go mbeadh na daoine ábalta cónaí lena dteaghlaigh sa Ghaeltacht freisin. I want to see their families and those people able to live there. I am certain regulations are the better way. If we look at, say, the language test, which Deputy Ó Snodaigh will be aware of too, within Gaeltacht areas if we are very restrictive - I think it is covered already under the 2012 Act - that there will be families who are living in Gaeltacht regions who speak as Béarla and do not have any Gaeilge at all. Tying some elements within this into primary legislation might restrict them and their rights as well. I am confident the guidelines I am going to bring forward in draft form will help with this issue as well.

For the interest of the committee, on Report Stage I am looking to expand the priority area plans to include plans for our islands. I met Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann coicís ó shin, or a fortnight ago. I said I would do that and I will and I referred to that in a response to a Dáil question from an Teachta Ó Cuív. Within that, I intend to extend them to Gaeltacht areas in section 69. That would effectively mean we would have priority plans. Let us take doing a development plan for Galway for argument's sake. We have the islands with greatest population of any of our islands are the Aran Islands of Inis Meáin, Inis Mór and Inis Oírr. No separate plan is done for them within the County Galway development plan, so I will bring forward amendments on Report Stage to ensure there will be a specific plan for na hoileáin. We will do that by way of the priority area plans. I spoke to Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann about that. Not all those islands are Gaeltacht islands and it would affect all of them. The federation welcomed that very much. It is the way to go. I will then look to extend the priority area plans to include our Gaeltacht areas. Something I have found in the work I have done as a TD, a citizen, but also as Minister is one of the issues is there has not been enough consistency across the Gaeltacht areas about planning. Some local authorities deal with it differently than others. Discretion must be allowed because areas are different but this even relates to accessing services and those types of things. I am determined to effect positive change in this. We will do this through the guidelines, which as I said, will be done around Easter. They will go out on public display.

Another area I am looking at is - there is so much in this grouping and I will conclude on this - is the tithíocht ar phraghas réasúnta sa Ghaeltacht. Bhí mé ag caint leis an Teachta Ó Cathasaigh faoi sin. I want to be able to bring forward affordable housing schemes. There were discussions yesterday and I heard Deputies O'Callaghan and Ó Broin talking about the creation of AHBs. There are AHBs in Gaeltacht areas. I have opened one in iar-oifig an phoist in Indreabhán. An AHB converted an old post office into four apartments there. There are others in Indreabhán that are active, but there will be nothing to stop Údarás na Gaeltachta or some body like that from becoming an AHB and I would welcome that. We are working on a piece of ground in An Rinn at the moment. I do not want to be too specific and I will conclude on this, but it is just by way of an example. Through the local authority and Údarás na Gaeltachta we will be able to provide the first affordable housing scheme in our Gaeltacht areas. Tá brón orm nach mbeidh mé ábalta glacadh leis an leasú seo but tuigim an fhadhb agus ba mhaith liom í sin a réiteach agus dul chun cinn a dhéanamh ar son ár ndaoine agus na cónaitheoirí sa Ghaeltacht freisin.