Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)

Ba mhaith liom déileáil le dhá gné den urlabhraíocht atá agam - an Ghaeilge agus an Roinn Cosanta. Bhí sé soiléir sa ráiteas a thug an Aire Airgeadais inné go bhfuil dearmad déanta ag an Rialtas ar an nGaeilge. Ní raibh focal Gaeilge, nó focal faoin nGaeilge, i Ráiteas gCáinaisnéise an Aire, an Teachta Brian Lenihan. Is é sin mar atá Fianna Fáil faoi láthair - ligeann a chuid Teachtaí orthu go bhfuil siad ag iarraidh Stát dátheangach a cothú ach, in aimsir an chruatan, déanann siad dearmad ghlan ar an nGaeilge. Nuair a d'fhéach mé ar na caipéisí iniata a bhí sna clúdaigh litreach a fuair Teachtaí inné, ní raibh faic ann i leith na Gaeilge. Chuir an Aire, an Teachta Ó Cuív, ráiteas amach inné chun cuir in iúl nach mbeidh a Roinn ag glacadh tuilleadh iarratais le haghaidh an scéim tithíochta Gaeltachta. I ráiteas eile inné, dúirt an Aire céanna go bhfuil €2 mhilliún á aistriúóna Roinn go dtí an Roinn Ealaíon, Spóirt agus Turasóireachta i leith clár forbartha réigiúnach Comhaltas CeoltóiríÉireann.

B'fhéidir go bhfuil an Ghaeilge agus an Ghaeltacht ag éalúó ciorraithe, ach ba mhaith liom é sin a chloisint ón Aire Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta é fhéin. Níl focal faoin straitéis 20 bliain, faoin phlean ghníomhaíochta don Ghaeilge sa Ghaeltacht nó faoin reachtaíocht i leith teorainneacha na Gaeltachta agus Údarás na Gaeltachta ráite aige. Ní raibh focal i ráiteas an Aire faoi todhchaí meitheal forbartha na Gaeltachta, rud atá conspóideach go leor ag an nóiméad. Beidh an toghchán le haghaidh bórd Údarás na Gaeltachta ar siúl i mí Aibreán na bliana seo chugainn, ach níl aon rian ar an scéal go mbeidh na hathruithe atá le déanamh curtha in áit faoin am sin.

There is to be a saving of €30 million in the Department of Defence budget. Some €10 million will be achieved because of the recent transfer of the Chad mission from EUFOR to the United Nations. I am somewhat baffled as to why this saving has not been factored in before now because the transfer of the mission to the UN had been known about for some considerable time, as had the consequential savings. Savings of €6 million will be made on new buildings and €3 million on refurbishment. Savings of €4 million are to be achieved in pay and allowances. This brings me to the embargo on recruitment and promotion in the Defence Forces, which will deprive people of the opportunity to take up employment in what are time-honoured and worthwhile careers, both at home and abroad. We have had the postponement of the 12 Reserve Defence Forces personnel going on active service to Kosovo later this year. It is most regrettable that this worthwhile initiative has been abandoned.

A case has been brought to my attention whereby a member of the regular Army, who had been seeking the rank of sergeant for 30 years, had finally achieved his ambition and had his medical test last Thursday. He was to have that medical test, but the embargo came in a week previously. Meanwhile, the successful interview had been delayed for some time because a member of the interviewing panel was not available. As things stand that promotion will not go ahead, so I am calling on the Minister, Deputy O'Dea, to persuade his colleague, the Minister for Finance, to rectify urgently such an absolutely arbitrary and unfair decision.

To return to the Irish language, I was disappointed that there was not some reference in the Budget Statement to a review of the functions of the Official Languages Act, particularly in regard to translations. It is about time that we eliminated wasteful translations of documents-----

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