Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

And actions. We have done a significant amount for the Irish language in the past ten years, and will continue to do it. The recommendations of the McCarthy report are just recommendations. Therefore, unless and until the Government accepts them, there is no point in criticising it for something that has not yet happened. The proposals in the McCarthy report and the 20-year strategy for the Irish language will be considered in tandem. We will publish the 20-year strategy and those decisions will be reflected in the budget for next year. The 20-year strategy is a long-term strategy and we will look way beyond the short-term problems we have with finance in laying out the strategy. The Deputy may rest assured that the Government is committed fully to the Irish language.

However, in looking at existing schemes, it would be a mistake for us to get trapped into believing the schemes we have currently are necessarily the optimal schemes. I have questioned and question again whether giving a grant to children of four or five years of age whose language was decided when they were born does much to convert English speaking families into Irish speaking families. I question whether that money would be better spent on supporting language transmission to children when they are born rather than trying to work a miracle that never works of converting the language of a child at four years of age.

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