Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

——and then when people realised how comprehensive it was, I would be accused, as with the languages Act, of having too much in it. For example, the commitment to fully implement the languages Act is a comprehensive statement while the Act covers a wide-ranging area. The statement states the strategy will aim to provide a wide range of services to parents who wish to raise their children through Irish. The statement is comprehensive and the clearest commitment from Government in over 40 years. I see the process as almost like the Constitution and now we need the law. The headlines are set so that those working on the strategy know the Government's intention.

Fóram na Gaeilge will meet next Monday. As I stated in the press release issued with the statement, €300,000 has been set aside for the development of the strategy and high level advice will be sought. Since I became Minister, the languages Act has been implemented and Oifig Choimisinéir na dTeangacha Oifigiúla has been established. Official working language status has been achieved for the Irish language in the EU. While the strategy was announced in 2005, it was decided a 20-year strategy could not be implemented if we did not know what we wanted to do. It was then decided to publish the statement first, which lays the high level Government objectives in a readable format for the public, and then to base a detailed strategy on it.

The Staidéar Teangeolaíochta has recently reported to me. It is a comprehensive document which I want to study. It is intended to have a public consultation process. There is no point in me publishing a report which I have not read.

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