Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I hope the emphasis is on oral Irish and that the Department is in a position to stimulate people to want to participate in speaking the language. When the Taoiseach's Department receives correspondence as Gaeilge, that is, letters in Irish, are the personnel in his Department competent enough to respond in Irish?

That brings me to another issue which perhaps the Ceann Comhairle might deal with. I have received several hundred letters in Irish recently because of my comments regarding the standard of the Irish language. There is no facility for Deputies in the House to respond in Irish to letters they receive in Irish. I can speak the language but I cannot write it competently. When I made inquiries of the translation service in the House, I discovered that the staff there are prohibited from undertaking such work. Perhaps the Ceann Comhairle and the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission might consider making appropriate arrangements so that any Deputy who receives a letter as Gaeilge and who wants to reply as Gaeilge can write the answer in English and have it translated into Irish by staff in the Houses. It would be beneficial for Deputies to be able to reply accurately to letters received in Irish.

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