Ms Jean O'Mahony:

As I mentioned previously, the Government has not set a target for the availability of third level courses through the medium of Irish. That has not to date been a target set by the Government. What I have set out are the streams or the policy and funding which supports the provision of teaching and learning of Irish at third level in the Department to support Irish-language activity specifically by universities through the special provision and the support directly to student societies on campus. To date, that is the policy, recognising the academic and administrative independence of the third level institutions. That has been the policy to date with respect to recognising and placing an obligation through the language obligations in the higher education Act on the HEA and third level institutions.